By Emegwoako C. Paschal
The meeting between representatives of the Lagos State Government and striking members of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria has been postponed until Friday, November 4th.
JDWAN has also stated that its strike action will continue until the Friday meeting.
These were revealed in a statement issued late Wednesday, Nov 2nd, by JDWAN National Leader, Abiodun Akintade, some hours after the drivers’ meeting with the government, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Abdulhafiz Toriola.
Representatives of the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Road Transport Employers Association were reportedly present, but “left before our arrival,” according to JDWAN.
“We gave our presentation on the circumstances that led to the strike and our demands.” The government’s team pretended to sympathize with us. “They, on the other hand, said they wanted us to have both NURTW and RTEAN representatives in the negotiations so they could present their own sides of the story,” Akintade said in the statement.
“As a result, the meeting was adjourned until Friday at 12pm at the Alausa Secretariat,” he explained.
On Monday, October 31, 2022, Lagos drivers began a seven-day warning strike to press home demands against extortion and harassment allegedly perpetrated by members of the Lagos State Parks and Garages Management Committee.
Commuters have been inconvenienced as a result of the strike action, as they have been unable to easily navigate their daily routes since the first day of the strike.
JDWAN expressed gratitude to the drivers for their “steadfastness, loyalty, and dedication to this struggle for our freedom.” We want them to be patient and continue the strike until the meeting on Friday. The strike would be five working days long by Friday, and “we are pleased that we have been largely justified thus far,” the statement said.
“We want Lagosians, our customers and commuters, to be patient with us as we all deal with the consequences of extortion.” But we cannot work like machines, and few people can eat like gluttons. How do monkeys work, and how do baboons chop? This cannot go on!” exclaimed the drivers.
JDWAN also claimed that two of its members are still locked up at Morogbo Police Station (Area K Command, Badagry) despite having committed no crime. The officers in charge have ordered us to beg the Agberos for their release. We demand immediate unconditional release of our members.”
“We also want to express our surprise at the sudden appearance of representatives from the NURTW and the RTEAN, both of which have been banned in Lagos State.” While JDWAN is not affiliated with either and our members are not official members of either, Akintade added, “we call on the National Leadership of the NURTW and the RTEAN to publicly clarify our doubts.”
