Reign of Agberos forces Lagos commercial bus drivers to go on strike Monday

Lagos State has been under the siege of increasing reign of agberos in various ways. The incessant harassment and inordinate extortion of commercial bus drivers in the state by agberos is forcing the drivers to go on strike on Monday. The drivers lose 50% of their daily earnings from morning to night to agberos at different locations on every route across Lagos State.

The desperation for the 2023 presidential and other elections has been making the situation worse on Lagos roads. The drivers are complaining of imposition of N200 daily ticket which they were told is allegedly to raise fund for the election of the former Lagos State governor seeking election for president in 2023, besides the numerous illicit levies.

Apparently, workers and business people should expect difficult hours on Monday in transportation services in Lagos State.

The commercial bus drivers in Lagos, under the umbrella of Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria, therefore, declared strike and staying off the roads on Monday in protest of extortion by motor parks and garages management.

The association in a statement, declared seven days mass protest and total boycott of Lagos roads to demand an end to excessive extortion and harassment of drivers at various bus stops, garages and parks in Lagos, including calling for the intervention of the Lagos State government.

The protesting driver in the joint statement by JDWAN’s National Leader, Akintade Abiodun; Chairman, Opeyemi Suleiman; Secretary, Ajimatanarareje Feyisayo; and Assistant Secretary, Taofeek Hassan, declared: “This is to notify members of the public and the Lagos State Government over multiple and excessive extortions by the motor parks and garages management.

“We have been sentenced to the extortion and violent harassment by 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 stops 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 N3500 and N5000 apart from 25 illegal tolling/ticketing by motor park hoodlums who collect N200 to N300 per bus.

“From Seme in their park, they collect N7100 in the morning before loading our buses, yet we are still subject to illegal collection on the highway.

“On Federal Mass and Coaster, we pay over N12,000 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 N5500 per day. Garage Ticket – N850, chairman ticket – N1700, king’s levy N200, Ita Oluwo N500, Odo Gunyon – N1200, Ile epo oba – N200. We also pay N900 for passing by, either you pick up passenger or not.

“At Ikorodu roundabout, we pay N1000 in the morning and afternoon and we pay N500 naira in the evening which makes is N2500.

“At Benson bus stop, we pay N900 for a whole day loading at N300 each for morning, afternoon and evening.

“From mile 12 to Ojuelegba, buses pay N1500, red coaster buses pay N2000.

“Red buses from Ikorodu to Oshodi pay N5000 to motor park boys in the morning and afternoon.

“At Ketu bus stop, we pay N600 to N1000 depending on the size of the bus, for just dropping off passengers or picking up any single one.

“For buses plying Yaba to Ikeja, we pay N200 at Jibowu bus stop, Total bus stop N100, Fadeyi N100, Onipanu N200, Elediye N200, Palmgrove N200, Anthony N100, and Ikeja N200; totalling N1300.

“On our way back to Yaba, Palmgrove and Onipanu is N500, Fadeyi and Total N500, Yaba N200; including LASG N800 ticket, it makes total of N3300 in the morning alone. We pay N2000 each in the afternoon and evening, which makes it total of N7300 daily.

“Korope plying lyana Iba-Okoko to Agbara are paying N5000 per day to motor park boys without the extra LASTMA and police department, and the Lagos Task Force daily extortion.”

The drivers also indicted the police in their protest, alleging police connivance with the agberos in the extortions.

According to the protesting bus drivers: “When we resist the extortion, we get arrested and pay N10,000 for bail to the police while the motor park boys go scot free, and we also have to bail our buses separately.”

They further narrated: “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 fulfil our contractual obligations with our business partners, feed our family or afford maintenance or repair of our vehicles.”

The protesting drivers, therefore, demanded:

No to charging drivers of 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 caretaker 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 by law enforcement agencies and intimidation with guns, Cutlass, broken bottles by LASTMA, task force and 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.”

The drivers, thereafter, declared:  “Failure to adhere to these demands will only attract more protest and total boycott. JDWAN is resolute in pursuing justice by all legitimate and peaceful means available.”