Tricycle operators in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, Thursday carried out a peaceful protest which thermed imposition of non-members, as leaders as well as reintroduction of multiple levies on operators.
The operators, who took their protest to the secretariat of the Aba Federated Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Aba, urged Governor Alex Otti to call Sunny Onwuma, the state’s commissioner of Transport, to stop threatening them for pulling out of the Abia State Tricycle Operators Union, (ASTOPU).
Tricycle operators in Aba had different Associations they belonged to,before the coming of the present administration in the State that harmonized the unions under ASTOPU, which the operators applauded, as they argued that it would stop touting and bring about harmonisation of levies.
However, the Operator’s expectations were cut short, as the leadership of ASTOPU rather than harmonise levies have reintroduced old levies stopped, by Governor Otti, the operators alleged.
Kenneth Chimezie, the spokesperson of the tricycle operators, said that they decided to pull out from ASTOPU, to establish the “Real Keke Operators Association, Aba” (REKOAA), because of the extortionist activities of politicians, appointed to head ASTOPU, who do not have the interest and the welfare of the operators at heart.
According to the operators, in REKOAA, they have already elected and endorsed their leadership, led by Ikechukwu Emenike, a tricycle operator, who they believe can provide good leadership to members, as he knows their pains, as an operator.
“We are here on a peaceful demonstration over the inhuman treatment being meted on us. The tricycle operators in Aba, don’t want the leadership of strangers again, as it has done us more harm than good.
“These so-called leaders do not care about the welfare of our members.
“We don’t want ASTOPU, as our union again. They have been intimidating us with the police. But we have decided to form our own union, called Real Keke Operators Association Aba (REKOAA) and we have endorsed Ikechukwu Emenike, as our chairman, he is a tricycle operator, who we believe has the capacity to lead us and defend our collective interest.
“We call on Maja, Ejeneme and Azubuike, who are in charge of ASTOPU, to leave us alone, we don’t need their ASTOPU in Aba, because they are a gang of intruders that are after their interest.”
The demonstrating tricycle operators said that the ASTOPU leadership has reassembled all the extortionists that were part of the old system that Governor Otti once removed and has started reintroducing things that the Governor had since abolished.
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They called on the Governor to remember his promise that he will allow various unions to choose their leaders without external interference and allow them the honour of operating under REKOAA, where they feel their interest will be protected, as a group.
“We know that after this protest, they will organise thugs that will pretend to be tricycle operators, to counter what we peacefully did today, “but no matter how you bury the truth, it must surely surface”.
“We dropped a letter to the Governor when we visited his Mvosi home on Monday, November 27, 2023, to one of his protocol officers, Uche Nwosu, but up till now we have not heard anything from the state government.
“Maybe our Governor has not received our letter. We humbly plead with our people-friendly Governor, as a peace-loving father of all of us in Abia State, to kindly grant our humble request and call the Commissioner for Transport to order, he should stop threatening to deal with us, REKOAA is the union we, the Operators in Aba want to belong to and we don’t want extortionists again
