The ongoing strike by commercial bus drivers in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, has left schoolchildren stranded and unable to meet up with their school time.
Some schoolchildren, alongside workers, business owners and other commuters now trek for long distances before getting to their destinations.
The Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN) commenced the strike on 31 October to press home their demands.
National Leader of JDWAN, Akintade Abiodun, had vowed that the association will not back down from the seven-day boycott.
He noted that the action of the association – with owners of commercial vehicles, popularly called ‘danfos’, and owners of mini buses as members – was necessary to protest against random levies imposed on their members by the state government.
Effect of action
As a result of the strike, large crowds were seen at bus stops, as commuters struggled for few available buses with an increase in transport fares.
Also, children who need to be in school on time to start learning were held back because they had to trek long distances to their school as they could not get transportation.
This situation, coupled with the scarcity of premium motor spirit (PMS) in Lagos, has worsened the ease of movement in the state.
The few bus drivers, who defied the strike and tricycle riders, have increased their fare vehemently, and commuters who could not afford the fares were forced to use BRT buses, and this led to long queues at BRT bus terminals.
The issues
JDWAN is demanding that the state government obeys the court order from Justice P.O. Lifu. The order forbids motor park thugs from collecting levies from drivers at every bus stop.
JDWAN also called for the end of harassment and intimidation of drivers on the road by law enforcement agencies such as the Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA) and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
JDWAN also noted the increase in cost of goods and services and high cost of transportation as an implication of the constant extortion.
According to the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), commercial drivers in Lagos State pay an average of N225 million each day, N6.75 billion each month, and N82.125 billion each year to ‘agberos’.
With rising costs of transport fare, which has been fuelled by extortion of bus drivers by non-state officials, the lives of many Nigerians have become unbearable.
We call on the government of Lagos State, through its Ministry of Transportation, to address the valid demands of the association.
Photo source: Fachab