Brave Dickson
Commercial bus and taxi drivers in Rivers State have appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike to chase away motor park hoodlums from the city of Port Harcourt and its environs who hide under the pretense of ticketing to extort money from drivers.
The drivers who made the appeal through the State Chairman, Drivers’ Welfare Association of Nigeria, Comrade Lekia Isaac told our correspondent that the proliferation of illegal ticketing occasioned by motor park hoodlums is very alarming, noting that drivers are now scared of plying Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor LGAs in particular.
He said, “we need the prompt intervention of our state governor.
Hoodlums have used illegal ticketing to drive us out of transport business.
“Our fellow drivers are now afraid of coming out in the morning to do their legitimate transport business because of motor park hoodlums who are ready to impound our vehicles and demand N15,000 where ticket is not payment. The worse of it all is that you can not identify real ticket agent from the hoodlums.
“In a day, we buy tickets excessively just to avoid being intimated by these hoodlums who are looking for drivers they will victimize.
“We call on government to help end the ugly trend that is capable of causing scarcity of commercial vehicles in the state.”
The drivers also commended the state governor for making the roads especially in Port Harcourt motorable, adding that drivers no longer visit mechanics as a result of bad roads.
“Governor Wike did well in making sure that inter roads in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor are motorable. We no longer visit mechanics because of bad roads.
“However, if illegal ticketing is not eliminated from our transport system, drivers will adopt the option of withdrawing their services. It means that there will be no commercial vehicles on our public roads which will in turn affect the economy of the state,” Comrade Isaac stated.
