Brave Dickson
Commercial bus and taxi drivers in Rivers State have accused various groups of putting them out of transport business through incessant protests.
The drivers under the aegis of Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter described the protests as one too many, adding that drivers used to experience low patronage each time group protested in the city of Port Harcourt and its environs.
The State Chairman of the Association, Comrade Leekia Isaac who commended the state government for banning public protest, maintained that their colleagues used to find it difficult to make their usual daily returns each time a group protested in the state.
His words, “most of my colleagues couldn’t meet up their usual daily returns to their vehicle owners due to incessant protests that have been obstructing traffic. This development almost make vehicle owners to retrieve their vehicles from drivers because of difficulty to even achieve five trips per day.
“When we heard the news of the protest ban, we received it with great joy and we fully support the ban to sustain.”
You recalled that public protest in the state went out of proportion during this year’s electioneering months.
The call for and against the cancellation of the March 9 governorship and house of assembly elections in the state by Political parties and their affiliate groups always end in protest.
The latest of such has been the call for and against the redeployment of the state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Obo Effanga over alleged rigging of the March 9 elections in favour of a particular political party and its candidates.
Some of the protests would have resulted in blood bath as protesters refused to desist from chanting provocative songs with same inscriptions on their placards but the conflict insensitive approach of law enforcement agencies helped in averting such tragedy.
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