On Friday, the Lagos State Chapter of the Joint Drivers Association of Nigeria (JDWAN) declared that their planned seven-day warning strike, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 31, 2022, will go as planned.This information was revealed by the joint drivers at a press conference held at the Right's House, Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Drivers of minibuses (Korope), coaster buses, T4, LT, Ford, and cars are anticipated to take part in the impending strike by pulling their vehicles from Lagos roads for a week.
Ayo Ademiluyi, the Lead Counsel for the drivers, addressed the press conference and stated that the strike action was required to protest the repeated violent harassment and extortion by members of the Lagos State Parks and Management Committee, led by Musiliu Akinsanya, better known as MC Oluomo, and other law enforcement agencies in the state.
He claims that, whether or not they pick up or drop off passengers, the drivers lose more than half of their money to the motor park guys as a result of the excessive levies in the garages and bus stops.
He objected to the creation of the parks and garages committee, claiming that this was against the law.
The National Leader of the Association, Comrade Akintade Abiodun, stated in his speech that the multiple levies on the joint drivers by garage boys and law enforcement officials have caused an increase in the price of food items in Lagos compared to other states because garage boys and touts who set up road blocks on Lagos roads to extort the drivers heavily tax consignments into the state.
The association's general secretary, Ajimatanrareje Feyisayo, described one of the heinous incidents that drivers go through at the hands of garage boys and touts. He said that a driver named Ademola Anisere was severely hurt and his car was damaged by garage touts in Badagry about a month ago for failing to pay the early morning levies at one of the bus stops.
Anisere was allegedly about to leave his house to pick up passengers when a group of garage touts descended on him. Despite his repeated cries that he was only getting the day's job started, they ignored him, and he was beaten black and blue while his car was wrecked.
"Garage boys and touts keep 70% of what we make each day. We pay between N3,500 and N5,000 at 25 illegitimate tolls set up by motor park thugs, who take between N200 and N300 every bus, to travel from Badagry to Mile 2.
We pay N7,100 from Seme Park before the first trip, but we are forced to pay fees at the 25 illegal tolls. We pay N12,000 and more on federal mass and Coaster buses for each trip from Oko-Afo to CMS, which includes loading fees at different bus-stops.
"We pay N5,500 and over from Ogijo to Ikorodu, excluding garage ticket (N850), chairman ticket (N1,700), King's levy (N200), Ita-Oluwo (N500), Ile-Epo-Oba (N200), and N900 for picking up or dropping off people."
Red buses traveling from Ikorodu to Oshodi pay N5,000, whereas buses traveling from Yaba to Ikeja, Ketu to Oyingbo, and other regions are required to pay more to keep their cars in good condition.
The state government is supporting the garage boys and touts in their efforts to terrorize innocent drivers, which only serves to exacerbate the situation. Although we are professional drivers, garage boys and touts are making our lives miserable. They frequently use pipes, sticks, rods, and cutlasses on the road to kill unsuspecting motorists. Added he.
Opeyemi Sulaiman, the association's state chairman, pleaded with the government to address the drivers' needs before it was too late. "We are professionals; garage guys and touts lack licenses but are prepared for fight to wreck havoc on the roadways," they said. We have often reported them to the state administration, but nothing has been done,"
Ademiluyi listed the demands of the drivers, which included the removal of illegal levies throughout the state aside from those imposed by the state government, a demonstration by the state government that the parks and garages committee is authorized by law, and the construction of additional bus stops for Lagos transporters outside of the BRT system (BRT).
