By Lukman Olabiyi
Commercial drivers under the umbrella of CMS Bus and Taxi Nig Ltd, Lagos, protesting over lock up of Marina garage, yesterday.
Commercial drivers under the umbrella of CMS Taxi and Bus Nigeria Limited, Marina, Lagos ,yesterday staged a peaceful protest over lock up of their garage by the State Government.
The protesters pleaded with the state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to have pity on them by unlocking the garage for them to continue their business activities.
Speaking on behalf of the drivers, at the protest held in Marina,
the union president, Alabi Olabamji Kamorudeen, disclosed that the government recently approached the union for usage of their garage for an event but later locked up the garage.
According to Kamorudeen, recently, the Special Adviser to the governor on Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa, approached our union for usage of our garage for an event which we obliged, but after the event our garage was locked up. We were later told that the government was planning to renovate and share the garage with other unions that are not part of us.
“This is not what the government told us initially. Since when the garage was locked up, we have been deprived of our livelihood, and many of our members have been rendered jobless.We are pleading with Governor Sanwo-Olu not to take away our source of livelihood and consider the plight of the commuters that we are serving”, Kamorudeen pleaded.
Reacting to the protest, Giwa said the drivers were not being sincere on what really transpired.
Giwa said the garage was locked up due to its operators’ refusal to register with the government, adding that the garage operators were operating without complying with the state’s law.
Again , he disclosed that for the past five years the union had not paid tax to the state government.
Giwa, however, revealed that the union’s leaders and government were already on the round table to settle the difference.