The JDWAN kicked off the seven-day protest and strike on Monday but it alleged that hoodlums working for the Lagos State government attacked the drivers and injured several of them.
The Lagos State commercial drivers under the aegis of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN) have vowed to continue their protest and strike action till November 6 despite threats by motor park managements and caretaker committees.
Recall that the commercial drivers had in a statement by its National Leader, Akintade S. Abiodun; Chairman, Opeyemi Sulaiman; General secretary, Ajimatanarareje A. Feyisayo and Assistant Secretary, Taofik Hassan vowed to boycott services across Lagos State on Monday over alleged multiple and excessive extortion of their members by the management of parks and garages in the state, as well as those attached to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
The drivers had also lamented that “When we resist the extortion, we get arrested and pay Nsrc0,000 for bail to the police while the motor park boys go scot free and we also have to bail our buses separately. Lagos drivers also pay for entertainment, security, unit chairman’s food and many other ridiculous levies with threat of violence at any slight refusal by the drivers. This is the exact case of the popular parlance on exploitation of labourers, “baboon dey work and monkey dey chop”.
“Lagos commercial drivers work like elephants and eat like ants while the urchins under the aegis of motor park workers take a large chunk of our earnings. We can hardly fulfill our contractual obligations with our business partners, feed our family or afford maintenance or repair of our vehicles.”
The JDWAN kicked off the seven-day protest and strike on Monday but it alleged that hoodlums working for the Lagos State government attacked the drivers and injured several of them.
However, in a statement by JDWAN National leader, Akintade Abiodun, the drivers vowed to continue with the strike, saying that they had made their points clear in their demands and that they expected the Lagos State government to meet their demands by putting to an end, the exploitations and violent harassment meted to them by the parks and garages managements.
Abiodun in the statement made available to SaharaReporters said, “Kudos to all commercial drivers in Lagos State for the massive compliance to the seven-day boycott by the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria. We also want to thank the commuters and residents of Lagos for the support thus far.
“We have all come to the full understanding of the impact of the forceful, illegal, ludicrous, unjust ticketing, levies and charges by the Parks and Garages Management Committee and caretaker committee. We can no longer continue to be subservient to people who have made life unbearable for us all and directly affects the cost of transportation, goods and services in Lagos.
“We have explicitly made our points clear in our demands and we are expecting the Lagos State government to accede to our demands by stopping exploitation of our labour and violent violation of our rights and restraining court order against the motor park management and caretaker committee thugs in Lagos.
“Today, 3srcst of October 202src being the first day of our 7 day boycott, we have experienced physical attacks, vandalisation of our vehicles and homes and criminal abduction of our members.
“One commercial driver, member of JDWAN, Ashimiyu Idowu, was abducted in Iworo area of Badagry has motor park and caretaker thugs led by Telliat Gbadamosi who is the Chairman, Motor Parks Management from Agbara to Seme route. They came in Telliat and Suleiman Adesina popularly known as Jafo Authority’s (Oniba of Iba) vehicles.
“The Agberos had over src00 bikes with three thugs on each bike wielding machetes and guns; they shot sporadically to scare members and communities away. After the abduction they faced Seme axis and dared any driver to stop them. Many vehicles were vandalised during the operation and we are yet to hear from the abductees.
“In the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos State, drivers were beaten by a multitude of motor park thugs and caretaker committee thugs over the boycott while they marched chanting “where are the other drivers?” Same broad daylight hunt of commercial drivers was spotted by our members in the Iyana Era area of badagry.
“At Roundabout bus stop, Ijaniki, precisely in front Lagos State University of Education, two drivers of mini bus (Korope) observing the the boycott were flogged and brutally attacked where they parked their buses by the motor park management thugs and their buses were driven away because they refuse to work.
“The coalition of Lagos commercial drivers under the umbrella of Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria wants to say categorically to the state government and its violent extortion agents that we are not afraid of any threat. No matter how long they violate the restraining order against the government by Honorable Justice Peter Odo LIFU, we remain undaunted and resolute till all our demands are met.
“We call for the immediate release of our members. The state government should arrest their workers and be charged to court immediately for assault and kidnap. All vehicles vandalised must be repaired and all vehicles driven away must be returned back today.
“We once again salute the unity and steadfastness of our members, we call on all other professionals, honest labourers, workers and unions to join us tomorrow, srcst of November 2022, so as to avoid being stranded or attacked by these unbridled Lagos State illegal tax collectors.”
