Commercial minibus drivers, popularly known as ‘korope’, on Wednesday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, protested the alleged extortion by the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
The drivers who protested at the front gate of the state Secretariat, Abere, said the alleged extortion by the NURTW leadership and the hike in petrol price have become unbearable for them, urging government intervention.
Addressing the state Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Sesan Oyedele, the representative of the protesting drivers, Mr Ebenezer Oyayode, also alleged harassment by uniformed men on the road, noting that the absence of bus stops in Osogbo has paved the way for the officers to extort and intimidate them.
Explaining how the transport union leadership was exploiting the drivers, Oyayode who is a retiree, said a ticket that ought to be given out at the rate of N300 now goes for around N900 to N1,200, adding that the union charges N25,000 just for numbering a mini bus.
He warned that the minibus might not operate in Osogbo if the government fails to find a solution to the problems the drivers are facing.
Oyayode said, “We are here today to express our grievances. The first one is the harassment by uniformed men within our covers. You will see these uniform men in more than 20 places within Osogbo and how much are we making
?
“The exploitation of the so-called union is too much. We collect tickets of 300 Naira per day. On the booklet of that ticket, you have a duplicate. They will cut it into four and at the end of the month, it runs into millions of Naira. Where does the money go? The exploitation is too much.
“This increase in fuel price has knocked us out of service. Take for example, when we buy fuel for N5,000, at the end of the day, we go home with N2,500. What about wear and tiers of the vehicle? We need to maintain our family.
“Very soon, I am telling you, so many Korope will go off the road. The non-availability of bus stops in Oshogbo is giving us serious problems. As drivers, we need to pick passengers but the moment you stop to pick a passenger, these uniform men will arrest you, saying it is illegal and they demand up to N5,000 sometimes to free the driver.”
Responding to the protesters, the Commissioner for Transportation, promised to hold a meeting with the representative of the drivers and the union to find a lasting solution to the issue of the alleged extortion.
“What they are protesting for is an internal crisis between them and their union leadership but as a government, we are going to look into it today and settle it once and for all.
“Also, on the complaints on increase in fuel price. We are urging the drivers to be considerate when increasing the transport fare. The issue is a global one and it is affecting everybody,” Oloyede noted.
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