Nigeria News: Lagos agberos untouchable because of government backing – Drivers’ president

Commercial drivers in Lagos State under the aegis of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria have since Monday embarked on a warning strike and boycott of transport services across the state over extortion by the Lagos State Parks and Garages Management. The President of the association, Abiodun Akintade, discussed issues surrounding the strike with SODIQ OJUROUNGBE

Why did you embark on the strike in the first instance?

There is a court order by the Federal High Court, Ikoyi. The order has been out since June 24, 2022, banning these people (agberos) from collecting money from us on the road. The court order also banned them from harassing, intimidating, beating our conductors, and damaging our property.

The court order also said they should stop collecting any money whatsoever from us but the Lagos State Government refused to act on the court order; that is one of our grievances.

The second reason we embarked on the strike was that early this year, the Lagos State Government introduced a ticket of N800. The Lagos Commissioner for Transportation went to a radio station, telling the masses that the government had introduced the ticket and it would be the only ticket they would assume as our tax, and anybody that asked for money again should be arrested.

After the introduction of the N800 ticket, we don’t know whether by omission or commission, the Lagos State Government gave the ticketing job to the agberos. We believe that the ticket should have been given to the local government authorities, but the reason they gave it to them is left to them; our duty is to pay for the ticket.

But after collecting that N800 ticket, these agberos still harass us. For example, where I drive, after loading in their park, while going to my destination, there are 25 checkpoints on the road before I reach where I am going. And I have to drop N100 or N200 at each of these checkpoints.