NURTW members urged not to increase fare

Tajudeen Adebanjo

THE Chairman of Lagos State Council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya aka MC-Oluomo, has urged members not to increase fares.

Increment, he said, would inflict more pains on Lagosians.

Akinsanya spoke with the union leaders on Monday at the Agege union headquarters.

He said the crisis over government’s policy on commercial motorcycles and tricycles called for calm.

“We are discussing with the government. The matter requires wisdom because government will always be government and no one can prevent the government from implementing its laws. Ours is to thread with caution and continue to engage the government on the way forward,” MC-Oluomo said.

He said there was no directive from the state council for commercial drivers to increase fares because of the ban on motorcycles and tricycles in some parts of state.

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He warned that any driver caught increasing fare would not only be punished, the union leaders at the park such driver operated would be sanctioned.

“As you are leaving this place now, return to your parks and address your members. We do not want crisis in Lagos State. We should be compassionate with those affected by the government’s policy on commercial motorcycles and tricycles. This is why we should not compound their sufferings by increasing fares. I repeat again, anyone caught will be sanctioned. The union should not be seen as a group of people trying to take undue advantage of the situation,” MC-Oluomo said.

He enjoined the branch chairmen to monitor and ensure that commercial drivers do not extort people.

“Hoodlums, who may want to foment trouble at the parks, should be prevented.

“Those who are not union members will do many things to create mayhem under the guise of union members. Do not allow them to give us a bad image. We have our names to protect and we must take our destinies in our hands by monitoring the parks,” he said.