Hundreds of commuters across Lagos were on Monday stranded as commercial bus drivers commenced their seven-day strike action.
The drivers under the aegis of the Joint Drivers’ Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN) had threatened to begin strike action over excessive extortion by the management of parks and garages in the state.
Although the union had warned about the planned strike, not many commuters knew about it until they found themselves stuck at bus stops with no sight of vehicles or tricycles to go about their businesses.
A banker at Alafia Amukoko told our correspondent how the protest restricted her from work.
She said: “We have heard about it since last week or so because I think there have been rumors that there would be a strike for buses and there would be no work or they won’t take any passengers.
“Going to work this morning I didn’t find it surprising because it is what we’ve heard about but not as we expected.
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“I have been here from 6 am till 8 am and I am still here. There have been no buses, nothing to even take me to my destination. Everybody stopped working. In fact, they had to park at the bus stop to let the passengers know that they are not working.
“That the rate at which the Lagos tout extort them from one bus stop to another was too much. Within a day they are spending up to N5,000 to N10,000.
“Considering the issue of insecurity in the country, one cannot enter private cars and the fact that the road is free.”
Stating their grievances at the press conference, the union lamented that they usually lost half of their income to the motor park touts, disclosing that some routes have much as 25 illegal tax collectors.
“The cost of transportation affects cost of goods and services and consequently the cost of living, which has spiraled astronomically in Lagos State as a result of the effect of motor parks excessive and illegal ticketing and tolling at almost every bus stop.”