Business activities pick up as Ogun harmonises ticketing to pacify striking transport workers

Prompted by the two-day protests embarked upon by transport workers over multiple ticketing created by various transport unions operating in Ogun State, the Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS) has introduced joint ticketing, which harmonises different ticket fees paid by transport workers.

It would be recalled that transport workers under the auspices of National Union of Road Transport Workers’ Union (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria  (RTEAN) have taken over all major streets in the state protesting multiple ticketing, which has been affecting movement of vehicles.

The transporters took over the streets, picketed and arrested commercial drivers who dared to convey passengers from one place to another in major cities and towns, including Abeokuta, Sango-Ota, Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Ilaro, among others, putting business activities at lowest ebbs and affected officialdom.

BusinessDay gathered from some taxi drivers that government and different transport unions introduced various tickets amounting to N500 per day, which is expected from one commercial taxi driver, prompting protests.

Speaking on the government’s position on multiple ticketing in Abeokuta on Thursday, Shehu Adebayo, special adviser/consultant to Governor Ibikunle Amosun on taxation, said multiple ticketing did not come from the government but rather from transport unions.

Adebayo, who spoke against the backdrop of protests and strike shortly after he met with officers of various transport unions in Abeokuta, said the government had harmonised the daily transport tickets expected to be paid by the transport workers, and only made transport unions as agents to collect fees on behalf of government.

He said,  “I think we are very successful at this point, the transport unions are very cooperative with the government but the taxi drivers are a little bit on the other side, and that was because of the hike in price. I don’t think there is any individual that is responsible for the hike, but it should be an issue of the unions.

“Yes, the unions as a whole should be responsible if the prices are jacked up because you can see that the price for the ticket is well written and that is the sum of N300. We don’t have to check the unions, we have said it in front of the taxi drivers that, they (the unions) are our agents, because we have an MoU with them,‎ of which they are being paid for.

‎”Officially, the fee is now N300 and it will be shared among those that are involved, and they are the PAGADEP, the Ministry of Environment, the state government, local governments and the only daily taxation, of course is N300 for now.”

Responding, the duo of Akeem Adeosun, chairman of NURTW, Ogun State, and Ahmed Kuku, chairman, RTEAN, pledged to comply with government directive on the harmonised ticketing regime for commercial taxi drivers, directing transport workers to start work immediately.