NURTW official.

Contrary to their expectations, more than one month after the Lagos State government suspended the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at Eyin-Eyo, Church Street, and Idumota Bridge indefinitely, transporters still pay hefty dues, daily.

The government took charge of the transport union’s activities due to the recent violence that broke out around the area.

The state government after a stakeholder meeting with NURTW, Central Business District (CBD), and Lagos State Market Women Association (Iya Oloja General and Iya Oloja of Lagos Island), through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Oluwatoyin Fayinka, said that the ban was to prevent further acts of violence at idumota. He said the Lagos State Parks Monitoring Authority would take over the management of the parks.

When newsmen visited Idumota, persons wearing aprons with the inscription Ministry of Transport Parks Monitoring Committee were sighted at different points within the area controlling traffic and collecting money from commercial bus drivers and their assistants adopting the same modus operandi as the NURTW.

Some of the transporters expressed surprise that the state government was still milking them dry, the way that the NURTW used to contrary to their expectations.

According to them, they thought what they hitherto paid to the unions as dues would drastically reduce with the government’s takeover, but it has sadly been business as usual.

A commercial driver that plies the Idumota-Oshodi route said that for his first trip of the day, the government takes N3, 200 from the N7, 200 that he makes, while he parts with N2, 400 for subsequent trips. “This is what was the case when the union was in charge of activities here.”

Another transporter who plies the Idumota- Oyingbo route (and also pleaded anonymity), said that he pays N100/per trip to the park managers for the first two trips. The charge jumps to N1, 500 for the third trip, while the fourth trip and subsequent trips return to N100.

Similarly, a driver of a minibus popularly called Korope, said he parts with N500 for the first trip, but in the second or third trip, the amount jumps to N1, 400 because N900 extra is paid for booking and ticket.

When newsmen contacted Fayinka on why the transporters were still paying such high dues to the state government, he claimed ignorance and promised to investigate the matter.

He, however, cut the call immediately preventing further clarification on the issue. He also did not pick his calls afterwards.