Members of the tricycle and motorcycle riders in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State have called on the state government to come to their rescue following what they described as the exorbitant prices of new reflective jackets, suckers and others sold to their members by the local government area.
They said that the development, if not urgently addressed by the state government, is capable of leading to the breakdown of the harmonious relationship between them and the council.
In a swift reaction, chairman of the local government, Collins Aigbogun, while denying the allegation, explained that the issuance of reflective jacket, stickers and others was to profile the motorcycle riders with a view to strengthening security in the area.
He stated that motorcycles are the major instruments used by criminal elements to perpetrate nefarious activities in the local government area, hence the profiling exercise
Aigbogun further said that the tricycle and motorcycle riders were all consulted before the introduction of the jackets and others, disclosing that the issuance of reflective jacket, caps, identity cards and others is done yearly in the area.
Speaking to Nigerian Tribune on the issue, the Edo State coordinator of ANNEWATT (an umbrella body of tricycle and motorcycle union association, an affiliate of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Oregbe Omorodion, debunked the claims of Aigbogun, saying the council boss was hiding under the cover of promoting security to extort his members.
He said: “ANNEWATT is being treated like an outcast. Some newly-elected council chairmen are pushing us to the wall. We don’t want to go to the street to protest because we don’t want the enemies of Edo State government to say opposition has given us money to discredit the government.”
Omorodion maintained that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Edo State law of 2017 prohibit councils from collecting revenue from mechanically propelled agents
He said that the council allegedly engaged consultants outside the harmonised revenue collection arrangement by Godwin Obaseki-led government, thereby operating outside the law.
“They don’t have the legal right to issue reflective jacket, stickers, identity cards and others to our members as the motorcycle riders are not members or council staff. They belong to the informal sector.
“We have been working with the state law of 2017 and we have not experienced what we are going through in the hands of council chairmen from Edo Central,” he said.
Corroborating the position of the ANNEWATTA’s chairman, Mr. Odianosen Collins said that they are not comfortable with the new development and the level of extortion allegedly meted out on them by the council.
All attempts to get the state government’s reaction on the matter failed as calls and text messages sent to the phone of the commissioner for local government, Monday Osaigbovo, were not answered or replied to.
and then