Some commercial drivers under the umbrella of CMS Taxi and Bus Nigeria Limited, Marina, Lagos, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest over the lock-up of their park by the Lagos State Government.
The protesters pleaded with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to pity them by unlocking the park for them to continue their activities, which is where they are making a living.
Speaking on behalf of the drivers during the protest in Marina, the union president, Alabi Kamorudeen, said the government recently approached the union for usage of their park for an event but it was later locked up.
According to Kamorudeen, “Recently, Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa approached our union for usage of our park for an event, which we obliged but after the event, our park was locked up. We were later told that the government wants to renovate and share the park to other unions that are not part of us.
“Since the park was locked up, we have been deprived of our source of livelihood, and many members have been rendered jobless. We are pleading with Governor Sanwo-Olu to consider the plight of the commuters that we serving”.
Reacting to the protest, Giwa said the drivers were not being sincere about what really transpired.
He said the park was locked up due to its operators’ refusal to register with the government, adding the park operators were operating without complying with state’s law.
He also said in the last five years, the union has not paid tax to the state government, adding that the union’s leaders and government were already on a roundtable to settle the difference, promising that very soon, the issue would be resolved.
