By Ifeoma Ejiofor
Commercial tricyclists popularly called Keke riders on Wednesday momentarily locked down Awka, the Anambra State capital in protest of alleged exploitation and extortion by government officials. And they have continued to complain, seeking the intervention of higher authorities.
The Keke operators blocked the Onitsha-Enugu express way at Aroma junction in Awka for some time, it took the intervention of some security agents who appealed to them before they relocated to Dr Alex Ekwueme park.
The coordinator of Recover Nigeria Project (RNP) Comrade Ositadinma Obi said that the issue of exploitation and extortion of Keke operators have become an issue that the government seems to be afraid of looking into.
Comrade Obi said that in a clime where responsible persons are in governance, the operators should be assisted and not exploited as being done in Anambra State especially in Awka North and Awka South Local Government Areas of the state.
He alleged that cultists are employed by government officials to enforce compliance with their neckbreaking levies and dues.
“We are not asking for too much, what we are saying is that the government should allow Keke operators do their business just like any other business venture in the state. We are responsible persons, many of the operators are graduates who are forced into Keke riding by unemployment, but we will not subject ourselves to any form of exploitative tendencies.
“Many people have been killed over the issue because the government officials have recruited cultists to extort money from the operators. The DSS and the police know these persons causing problem for our members but the security operatives could not do anything to the cultists recruited to enforce illegalities because they have government backing.” He said.
He however said that no body can subjugate the Keke operators into accepting day light robbery by the government officials noting that whoever that makes peaceful change impossible will inadvertently be inviting violent change. “They should know that nobody has a monopoly of violence” Comrade Obi stressed.
An operator, Ude Collins who listed all the abnormal levies demanded from Keke riders said that persons who have no stakes in the business have been empowered to defraud the struggling youths are just trying to make ends meet.
“We are forced to pay for security number so as to checkmate illegal use of Keke for criminal activities but let me report to you officially that government officials in charge of this have been issuing one number to more than twenty Keke riders, you will agree with me that the process was designed to fail with this kind of attitude.” Collins insisted.
Meanwhile, Dr Ude Akpeh, Permanent Secretary, Anambra State Ministry of Transportation in a press release said that the members of the Tricycle Union are free to celebrate their Christmas whichever way they like but warned that no member should be compelled to participate.