EXTORTION: Lagos Govt Buckles to Truckers Demands, As Shippers Council, MWUN, NARTO, AMATO Hold Meeting
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation on Friday convened a stakeholders’ engagement meeting in collaboration with the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Dr Pius Akutah Ukeyima Esq, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) represented by its National President, Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman, the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) represented by its President, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) represented by its President General, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju.
Comrade Sanni Bala Mohammed, National Secretary of AMATO, informed DAILY TREND after the meeting, that the unions presented their demands to the Ministry and urged prompt action to address their concerns as a condition to suspend their planned strike.
Recall that the three unions; AMATO, NARTO, and MWUN had on Monday issued a three days strike ultimatum to the Lagos State Government over the High handedness of its committees on traffic control, alleging that officials of the committee were extorting truckers to the tune of N400,000 each, using instrumentality of the state power of arrest.
The union subsequently demanded that all arrested trucks be released unconditionally, among other demands.
At the meeting held on Friday, these demands were thoroughly discussed, leading to productive deliberations.
“At the conclusion of the discussions, the stakeholders and the Ministry agreed to establish a committee to review the unions’ demands and work towards resolving the issues raised in earnest” Comrade Mohammed stated
In attendance were the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Olawale Musa, Director Transport Operations in the Ministry of Transportation as well as representatives from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
