According to a statement signed by JDWAN national chairman, Akintade Abiodun, The joint driver welfare association of Nigeria has made it known that they will protest excessive extortion by the motor parks and garages management. A statement was released to point out their grievance and also made their intentions known in the coming days.
“This is to notify members of the public and the lagos state government over multiple and excessive extortion by the motor parks and garages management.”
“Commercial drivers are the cornerstone of every economy. We are responsible for transportation of goods, personnels and in many cases, the delivery of services across the nooks and crannies of the state. The cost of transportation affects cost of goods and services and consequently the cost of living, which has spiralled astronomically in Lagos State as a result of the effect of motor parks excessive and illegal ticketing and tolling at almost every bus stop.”
“However, as dedicated professionals, we have been sentenced to the extortion and violent harrassment of the state transport agencies – Lagos State motor parks and garages management and Lagos State caretaker committee .”
“On a daily basis, we lose half of our income to the motor park boys, we pay exorbitant charges, in the garages and at every bus stop where we drop off passengers, either we pick up passengers or not, we pay morning afternoon and night. some routes have 25 bus stop which also serve as illegal tax collection avenues.”
“We crave the indulgence of the public to go through the meticulous breakdown of this unprecedented level of extortion we go through below
“From Badagry to mile 2, we pay 3500 & 5000 naira apart from 25 illegal tolling/ticketing by motorpark hoodlums who collects two to three hundred naira per bus.”
“From Seme in their park, they do collect 7100 in the morning before loading our buses yet we are still subject to illegal collection on the highway.”
“On Federal Mass & coaster, we pay over twelve thousand naira on each trip from Oko afo to cms or to Oyingbo which includes loading charges and illegal payments at several bus stops till we get to our destination.”
“From Ogijo to Ikorodu we pay over 5500 per day. Garage Ticket 850, chairman ticket 1700, king’s levy 200, ita oluwo 500, odo gunyon 1200, Ile epo oba 200. We also pay 900 for passIng by either u pick up passenger or not.”
“Ikorodu round about we pay 1000 in the morning and afternoon and we 500 naira in the evening which makes is 2500
Benson bus stop we pay 900 naira for a whole day loading at 300 naira each for morning, afternoon and evening.”
“At agric bus stop we pay 200 naira to 8 motor park thugs, it is called welcome to Agric tax. When we stop to load for passengers at agric bus stop we pay extra 300 naira which isn’t part of the 1600 welcome to agric tax.
When we get to aunty Kenny bus stop we pay 200 naira before buying Lagos state ticket for 500 naira.”
“At ogolonto bus stop we pay 100 naira,
“At mile 12 bust stop we pay 500 naira for plying the expressway and 1000 naira for plying service lane (for buses enroute Yaba oyingbo) .
mile 12 to ojuelegba buses pay 1500, for red coaster buses pays 2000 naira respectively.”
“Red buses from korodu to Oshodi pays 5000 to motor park boys in the morning and afternoon.”
“At ketu bus stop we pay 600 naira to 1000 naria depending on the size of bus for just dropping of passengers or picking up any single one.”
“For buses plying Yaba to ikeja, we pay 200 naira at jibowu bus stop , total bus stop 100 naira, fadeyi 100 naira, onipanu 200 naira, elediye 200 naira, palmgrove 200 naira, anthony 100 naira, ikeja 200 naira – total 1300.”
“For buses plying Yaba to ikeja, we pay 200 naira at jibowu bus stop , total bus stop 100 naira, fadeyi 100 naira, onipanu 200 naira, elediye 200 naira, palmgrove 200 naira, anthony 100 naira, ikeja 200 naira – total 1300.”
“On our way back to Yaba, palmgrove & onipanu is 500, fadeyi & total 500, yaba 200 with LASG 800 ticket makes total of 3300 in d morning alone. We pay 2000 naira each in afternoon and evening. Which makes it total of 7300 naira daily.”
“Korope plying lyana iba- Okoko to Agbara are paying 5000 per day to motor park boys without the extra LASTMA & Police department & Lagos Task Force daily extortion.
When we resist the extortion we get arrested and pay 10,000 naira 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 levy 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 fulfil our contractual obligations with our business partners, feed our family or afford maintenance or repair of our vehicles.”
The association went on to release their 5 demands as stated below:
The demands are
- No to charging drivers three passengers money after loading in parks or garages, we are demanding it should be one passenger’s money per bus.
- We demand that Only Lagos State government ticket should be the only ticket in Lagos, others e.g Lagos State parks & garages management, Lagos State care taker committee are not acceptable to all drivers in Lagos State.
- We kick against Paying motor park thugs at every bus stop. All illegal money paid after we leave the garages and parks should be abolished immediately.
- Harassment of law enforcement agencies & intimidation with guns, Cutlass, broken bottles by LASTMA, task force & RRS must end immediately. They collaborate and hire thugs to attack and extort us every day without violating any law.
- We have lesser bus stops for commercial vehicles. Most bust stops in Lagos are strictly assigned officially to brt buses only and we get arrested for dropping off passengers at existing bus stops which are known to commuters as official bus stops for decades. We demand that the Lagos State government should provide official bus stops in each community to avoid incessant arrests and stress for commuters who complain of having to trek several kilometres back to their bus stops.
Finally, they call on the Lagos State government to quickly respond to avert the current anomaly. Failure to adhere to these demands will only attract more protest and total boycott. They also made it known that the Joint drivers welfare association of Nigeria (JDWAN) is resolute in pursuing justice by all legitimate and peaceful means available.