Lagos Bans Touting At Motorparks

The Lagos State Government has placed a ban on touting and
other extortionate activities of members of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport
Workers (NURTW) at garages and motor parks within the metropolis.

Mr Kayode Opeifa, Commissioner for Transportation, who disclosed
this at a news conference in Ikeja recently, said that the ban was in line with
the new traffic law in the state.

He said that the activities of some members of the union,
notoriously known as “agbero”, obstructed peaceful operations of transporters
at the parks and the government would no longer tolerate them.

“Henceforth, union activities are no longer allowed in all
the garages in the state; what they need to do now is to operate the way other
unions in the state operate.

“They are meant to be in their offices; we recognise the
right for them to associate but we believe that the motor parks should be made
conducive for those who want to carry out their business of commuting in the
state.

“No union member should be seen collecting money from transporters;
it is illegal and we won‘t take this any longer, “he said.

Opeifa said that the government would soon begin the
re-registration of motor parks in the state with a view to ensuring that
transporters operated only at designated parks.

The commissioner explained that the government was taking
the step to address security issues arising from the operations of unauthorised
vehicles at illegal parks.

Opeifa said that the new traffic law was the government’s
strategy to address traffic congestion, urging residents to comply voluntarily
to make it successful.

Our correspondent reports that Mr Ade Ipaye, Commissioner
for Justice and Mr Aderemi Ibirogba, Commissioner for Information and Strategy,
were also present at the briefing.