Umuahia tricycle drivers oppose weekly tickets and rising prices for petrol.
In Abia State, tricycle operators, better known as Keke NAPEP, seized control of a few key Umuahia sites on Monday in protest of the N2,000 weekly ticketing system that the State Ministry of Transportation is purportedly responsible for implementing.
The commercial Keke riders also bemoaned the recent rise in gasoline prices at the pump, claiming that their daily labors are in vain when a liter of petrol is sold for N750.
Between 9:30 and 11:00 am, the riders with signs and tree leaves took control of the well-known Isi gate center. They used their tricycles to obstruct traffic coming from Umuwaya Road, Corporative, Warri Street, Item Street, and Ohafia Street.
Additionally, they declined to transport travelers heading toward the Ubakala axis.
The riders requested that the Ministry of Transportation and other relevant tax bodies immediately suspend the weekly revenue payment system and return to the N350 daily payment, which they claimed was more convenient for them. They made this request in an appeal to Governor Alex Otti.
Along with this, they asked to the Abia government to provide them additional packing space at Umuahia so they could drop off people, and they requested that touts stop harassing their members.
Ike Jerry, one of the demonstrators, said that his union members had supported Governor Alex Otti’s government, which was evidenced by the bloc vote they cast for him in the 2023 governorship contest.
“We think this new ticket arrangement is unknown to the governor. We therefore urge him to step in right away and tell these task force members to go back to the daily ticket system.
Chinonso Ogukwe, a different protestor, stated that the state government should forbid the resurgence of touting, which it had previously outlawed.
Martins Okechukwu Justice, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Entertainment and Tourism Affairs, addressed a different group of tricycle operators during their nonviolent demonstration at the Abia State government house.
The Special Assistant, who complimented the motorcyclists on their composure, assured them that she would forward their grievances to Governor Alex Otti.
