COMMERCIAL motorcyclists, popularly known as ‘Okada riders’, yesterday, thronged the streets of Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, in protest against the levy of N20 daily ticket allegedly imposed on them by an agency of the state government.
The protest, which lasted for over four hours, paralyzed economic activities in Ughelli and environs, took the Okada riders through the major streets of the town.
The protesters, while chanting songs of grievances, rode dangerously in acrobatic manner to express their displeasure at the re-introduction of the daily ticket, which, according to them, was abolished by the last local government administration in the area.
Workers, traders and students trekked to their various destinations, following the early hour protest of the commercial cyclists in the metropolis. This was as a result of the absence of intra-city taxis in the town.
The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Ughelli ‘A’ Division, Mr. Chris Sorgbara, who waded into the protest, appealed to the protesters to go about their normal businesses.
Saying that he would hold a peace meeting with the protesters with a view to addressing their grievances, he stressed the need for peace and security in the area.
Speaking to newsmen, one of the protesters, Mr. Frank Idogun, said some persons came out in the early hours of yesterday, asking them to purchase a daily ticket of #20.
He said: “They insisted that we must pay for the daily ticket. The ticket was abolished over two years ago by the immediate past Chairman of Ughelli North Local Government Council, Mr. Kenneth Ibru.”
Pointing out that majority of them were university graduates who ventured into the ‘Okada, business, in the absence of “white collar jobs”, he held that the re-introduction of the ticket was unacceptable to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Add A Comment