Dispatch riders in Rivers state on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest over the ban by Governor Nyesom Wike which has destroyed their businesses.
The dispatch riders took to the streets of Port Harcourt and terminates at the Government House, calling for the lifting of the ban on their business.
This is as they have repeated their call on Governor Wike to lift the ban stopping them from carrying out operations in the state since January this year, adding that they have done all that is required of them, including profiling by the Department of State Service, with no announcement for them to go back to business.
They said that this is not the first time they have tried to convince Governor Wike that their business is legitimate.
They said that they want to return to their source of livelihood as they can’t feed their families anymore.
Recall that in his new year address in January this year, Governor Wike imposed a ban, criminalizing the use of motorcycles for any purpose but with a caveat that those who use motorcycles for their business must come for registration at his office.
Despite the constraints, the president of the Port Harcourt logistics owners Association Amuche Authur says members have complied with the governor’s directive.
He says it is hard to believe that up till now the government is yet to give them the go-ahead to return to work.
The Rivers state government had persistently argued that most criminals use motorcycles for their escape and that the ban was to try to protect the citizens.