By Vera E. Abah
THE Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has expressed strong support for protesting Lagos commercial bus drivers under the auspices of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association (JDWAN).
JDWAN staged a scheduled protest in Lagos Monday (October 31, 2022) over allegations of extortion and attacks by motor park thugs popularly known as “Agberos”.
CDWR in a statement dated October 30, 2022, called on the general public to support JDWAN’s protest.
“For many years now commercial bus drivers and other road transport workers in Lagos and across the country have come under constant and daily attack, harassment and extortion from motor park thugs organized under the “Road Transport Union (National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW)”. These Agberos are quick to molest drivers and conductors including damaging their vehicles if their unjustified and outrageous demands are not instantly met.
“This organized extortion has the backing of the government and some top government officials are beneficiaries. A report by the International Centre for Investigative Report and published in Punch Newspaper on July 23, 2021, has it that the extortionist activities of Agberos in Lagos State generate N123 billion annually, something which is equivalent [to] the annual budget of Nasarawa, Niger, and Yobe states put together,” CDWR stated in the statement signed by its National Chairperson, Comrade Rufus Olusesan.
It added that the huge sums of money regularly generated and kickbacks to politicians and top government officials are enough to guarantee the support of “these self-serving ruling elite,” the major reason behind Lagos State government’s support for the Lagos NURTW (MC Oluomo’s leadership) against the national leadership of the NURTW in its recent clash with the Lagos NURTW. CDWR said the state government went ahead and created the Lagos State Park Management Committee with MC Oluomo as the leader.
The statement further reads: “NURTW is affiliated with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) but its activities lack democracy and decency; drivers and conductors do not have any opportunity to determine how the so-called union is run, no meetings of the road transport workers are called, and no room to become a member of the union or dismember and all its activities are defined by force and threat.
“Money forcefully collected are not union dues but levies, more of an outrageous and compulsory tax. The extortionist activities of these so-called unions, Agberos or ‘Park Mangers’ as well as lack of regulation, and price control of the dominant unorganized private sector are largely responsible for the high transport fares.
“We call for an end to extortion, harassment, and intimidation of drivers not only in Lagos State but across the country, and urge pro-masses organisations to support the struggle of the beleaguered commercial drivers.
“The leadership of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association (JDWAN) must be committed and ready to mobilize mass of drivers and run a democratic platform wherein drivers and conductors will collectively and democratically determine the activities of the union that defends the interests of its rank-and-file members.”
