WAKE UP: Lagos, Ogun indiscriminate commuter fare charges and failure of successive governments

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

“Therefore, because of the backing of the governors Iyana Ipaja traffic jam (Lagos) has stayed for long not because of bad road but because of agents of parallel government – Agbero – at work are blocking commuters from having smooth passing due to all manner of charges: Owo Load, Owo Olopa, Owo Obstruction, Owo Osan, Owo Security, etc. And they do these to the face of Police and LASTMA, TRACE on duty.”

Successive governments of Lagos and Ogun states have failed to stop wicked, indiscriminate increase in fare charges by commuter drivers.

Oshodi – Obalende in Lagos, for instance, is N150. Afternoon of Wednesday December 5, 2018 it was suddenly charged N300. Why? Because people were many at Oshodi Bus Stop boarding for Lagos. Not even the BRT that government is known for operating (which is now sold out as franchise to individual operators for ease of the people) were in sight.

These commuter operators, 18-passenger road transport workers sometimes exploit failure of the BRT to be available to overcharge commuter as if to say a payback for choosing BRT against them. This is the act of wickedness for which government exists to fight in defence of the masses of the people.

Because there is no BRT, passengers became increasingly stranded at Bus Stop without end. Road transport workers should see that as blessing and busy they to make their money without charging above normal. But no, they see the crowd of passengers as opportunity to exploit them with overcharge.

But which should interest transporters? To come, easily fill your bus and leave to come again or come shout, shout to dryness before your bus is full?

This is reason you hardly find a transporter in Lagos who is successful. Because there is no God’s blessing in what he does. Because of his greediness, many passengers go stranded thus turn beggars. Many resort to trekking only to land in hospital at the end.

In Abuja, Nasarawa, Kaduna or anywhere in the North including Kogi, ordinary Keke operator is doing great things. But in Lagos or even any part of Yoruba Land, I will not touch Igbo or Niger Delta land, because those parts are fairly better, go and see operators of big buses how they are crying “hunger in Nigeria” thinking that the rest of us who see all parts of Nigeria would not know that it is the wrath of Allah that is blasting hard at them.

Well, that is between them and their Lord. But Allah has created government to protect the weak masses against these wicked “powerful” oppressors. How the governments of Lagos and Ogun states responsibly stand up to their duty on this remains an issue of concern.

South West governments particularly in Lagos should take note from what I have raised here. Most of the cries of hardship that Nigerian media report and broadcast to us –  making it look like it is so in all parts of the country – come only from Lagos and by extension South West.  Is this what we Yoruba have got to show for the education that we claim to have above others?

In Lagos and Ogun, in particular, there are two governments in each state: one constitutional and other parallel, the Agbero. When I asked why? They told me governor is taking N30 million from Agbero monthly. Anyway, no Agbero state chairman has confirmed or denied this information because all effort to get Alhaji Agbede (Lagos) on one-on-one basis to talk yielded no result as he posted me when he picked my call.

Therefore, because of the backing of the governors Iyana Ipaja traffic jam (Lagos) has stayed for long not because of bad road but because of agents of parallel government – Agbero – at work are blocking commuters from having smooth passing due to all manner of charges: Owo Load, Owo Olopa, Owo Obstruction, Owo Osan, Owo Security, etc. And they do these to the face of Police and LASTMA, TRACE on duty.

It is same thing and worse as well in Sango, Ota, Ijoko, Iyana Ilogbo, Itori, Ewekoro, Shagamu, Ijebu Ode in Ogun State. The worst thing is that police personnel on duty are even helpless. I don’t blame them. When policeman arrests an Agbero for obstructing traffic thereby causing holdups, it is rare if the officer who arrested will not suffer for doing so. How will Agbero not bragado (boast) to be security agent of a parallel government backed by constitutional government? This is how Nigeria’s South West is going far backwardly down the pit in the scheme of things.

Beyond that, petty traders are also charged. A petty trader items are worth not more than N300.  These Agbero (by their affiliate – touts) force her to pay N50. I have witnessed when at Sango, Ogun State,  market of a woman was scattered on the ground by one of the touts for her inability to pay N50 tax. This petty trader was hawking poff-poff.

Recently, Governor of Anambra State ordered stoppage of all illegal taxes such as taken by touts in Lagos and Ogun states. His reason was that, petty traders are already poor and that it is wicked to add to the hardship of those poor people who are only managing to live by their petty trading.

Governments of South West should act now.

Bad attitude of some citizens to development

We

boarded a Cyienna space shuttle car from Obalende, Ikoyi, on the Island of Lagos afternoon of Wednesday December 5, 2018. On getting to Oshodi, a male co-passenger, elderly sitting by by side, and another at the back seat condemned the ongoing development project going on at Oshodi with the one by my side saying, “This is rubbish. When people are hungry and suffering, this is useless”.  The other outrightly dismissed it to be needless.

The rest six passengers overpowered them in argument and that ended the discussion.

My point: Why should any Nigerian be opposed to development? Unfortunately the two of them are from a particular region of Nigeria where development they never witnessed even under their own man as President is now going on including the Niger Delta.

I later found out that they are just being bigot as they would never love development for any part including their and the only thing they would like is self pocket.

It is the reason they choose one Fulani whose party’ in 16 years in power, they know, sold all Nigerian assets to themselves, against the Fulani who has in only three years kick-started real development of the country with projects going on in all states of the federation.

In no distant time Nigeria will be inter-connected by railways, which Minister of Transportation, Chief Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is doing presently.

CHANGE MUST BEGIN WITH YOU AND ME!