MC Oluomo denies assault claims by Lagos commercial bus drivers, as govt wades into impasse

Claims that bus drivers in the state were attacked have been refuted by Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo, the chairman of the Lagos State Parks and Garages Management, on Monday.

At the same time, he urged the irate commercial bus drivers to direct their complaints to the relevant parties.

According to Nigeria’s Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN), the current strike won’t end until November 6, 2022.

On Monday, October 31, 2022, Lagos State drivers began a boycott due to road extortions by the administration of the state’s garages and motor parks.

Akintade Abiodun, the National Leader of JDWAN, thanked the people of Lagos for their support in a statement released on Monday night. JDWAN also denounced the alleged assault on one of its members, Ashimiyu Idowu, who was later purportedly released.

However, in response to the reports, Oluomo stated that the agency has a dispute resolution procedure to address the complaints of bus drivers through the Secretary of the Parks and Garages Management (Operations), Olayiwola Lemboye.

He claimed that the agency’s state secretariat is always willing to discuss problems among its members.

READ ALSO:MC Oluomo denies claim he forced N500 sticker fee on Lagos transporters to support Tinubu’s presidential bid

“As we speak, we have not received any communication from anyone on the issue of extortion or harassment. They ought to have reported the matter to their branch chairmen or bring it to the state secretariat if the branch chairmen are not forthcoming,” he stated in a statement.

He cautioned the group against politicising the operations of commercial transportation in the state.

“The purported strike action has a political undertone. If not, how come they are coming under a name unknown to the law? The government recognises two bodies – the suspended National Union of Road Transport Union in Lagos State and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria. The Joint Drivers’ Welfare Association of Nigeria is not known.

“Despite that, the state government’s Liaison Officer to the Parks and Garages Management, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, has also waded into the matter and held a meeting with them. Instead of adhering to the agreement reached, they resulted in blackmailing the respected retired police officer,” he said.

The statement also denied the allegation of attack on members of the aggrieved body.

“The Chairman of Lagos State Parks and Garages Management Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya is a peaceful person and will never subscribe to such illegalities. More so, our operations are limited in the Berger area of Badagry where they alleged that some of their people were attacked,” he said.

In a bid to resolve the situation, the Lagos State Government has summoned aggrieved commercial bus drivers, members of the National Union of Road and Transport Workers (NURTW), and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the state for a meeting on Wednesday.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, the government promised to find permanent solutions to the issues raised by the drivers.

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