Alhaji Bola Ogunyele, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners chair in Southwest, has decried activities of hoodlums extorting money from truck drivers and making the routes unsafe for them in in Lagos State. He noted that members pay exorbitant fees in transporting their goods out of Apapa and Mile 2, and risk losing their lives to attacks.
But he praised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and security agencies for coming to their aid.
In a a statement in Lagos, he said: “We play a vital role in the socio-economic development of the nation. We are responsible for transportation of goods and services, including dry cargo, wet cargo, and commuter transport.”
“We commend Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his efforts. We reached out to Lagos State when it was difficult for us to fulfil our responsibilities. Hoodlums and other individuals posed threats to our operations. Previously, we pay more fees to move goods from Apapa to deliver to clients.”
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“We thank Governor Sanwo-Olu for his prompt response to our calls for help, which drastically reduced extortion of our members. We greet him for his commitment to improving trade and investment in the trucking business.”
“Daily, our members spend huge amounts of money to get their goods and services out of Apapa. But today, thanks to the governor’s decisive actions, we are witnessing improved traffic in that area.”
“However, like Oliver Twist, we ask the governor to enhance security for truckers and other road users. We have faced severe challenges while doing our jobs.”
“We pay much to leave Apapa; otherwise we risk having our trucks damaged or drivers and assistants injured.”
“We greet the police, Navy, Army, and others in keeping us safe.”
“We request that security be intensified, especially at night, to prevent hoodlums extorting and disrupting our truckers.”
“We hail the President ’s efforts in expanding roads. We hope to see attention given to roads in the metropolis. Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is fine, and Lagos-Abeokuta road is under repair…”