Scores of despatch riders on Tuesday barricaded the main entrance to the Lagos State House of Assembly complex in protest against multiple extortion by the state government and some agencies of the Federal Government.
The protesters, consisting of men and women displayed placards with various inscriptions, such as; ‘We are not lazy Nigerians, No to baboon areaboys’, ‘Give us one card’ and others, prevented visitors to the complex from entering, despite heavy police presence at the gate.
The protesters condemned a situation where about four tickets/cards amounting to N25,000 are issued to operators by authorities, comprising the Lagos State government, Local Councils, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).
The operators, who noted that the Lagos State House of Assembly had in 2021 directed that the extortion of despatch riders in the state should be stopped, appealed to government officials to comply with the directives to allow peace reign.
A protester, Mr Umoh Paul explained that they pay N3,600 for the Lagos State Rider’s Card, N2,500 to Ogun State for a similar card, N10,000 to NIPOST and N8,000 to the FRSC. He said the levies amount to about N25,100 per rider, adding that the authorities have been arresting defaulters.
“We are tired of these multiple charges. We are appealing to government and authorities concerned to reduce our burden.
“The FRSC has mandated that all despatch riders should have a class ‘A driver’s licence’ and they have been impounding our bikes in numbers,” he said.
Paul lamented that NIPOST, the body charged with regulating the practice of courier and logistics in Nigeria, has also started issuing its own driver’s licence, which will make a total of four licences for the riders.
Another operator, who pleaded for anonymity, stressed that if government refused to reverse the levies, it may render many of the operators jobless.
Another warned that if the multiple charges are not reduced, it would force many of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to close shop.
