By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
Business activities, human and vehicular traffic were disrupted in and around Obasanjo Square, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital on Tuesday morning as protesting Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (NOAN) took over major roads and streets of the city.
They are demanding that the State government should sack the consultant handling the collection of their revenue over the untold suffering and hardship members were subjected to by the consultant handling the revenue collection.
Kogi state chairman of TOAN , comrade Ahmed Sadiq told newsmen during the protest that since the consultant, Mr. Daramola Michael Adebayo started the collection of revenue on behalf of the state government he failed woefully by deviating from the laid agreement.
According to him, the percentage which is meant for the Union has been diverted by the consultant as no amount genuinely allocated to the union has been given.
“Bayo has hired some officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps and vigilante groups to beat and intimidate our members”
Comrade Ahmed Sadiq Ahmed who further stated that the union gives over seven hundred thousand naira to Daramola Michael as revenue on daily basis, regretted that this whopping amount is not being remitted to government’s confer.
“What pain us , Mr. Daramola Michael Adebayo is an indigene of Ekiti State who is in our state to exploit us and impoverish the citizens. We’re calling on the state government to immediately remove him as the consultant
Comrade Sadiq explained that the State Ministry of Transportation was informed about the nefarious behavior of the consultant before embarking on the street pretest.
He lamented that the union officials were finding it difficult to run the office effectively since nothing is remitted to them by the consultant after the agreement.
Kogi state commissioner of transportation, Levi Victor Atuluku, while addressing the protesting members of the union said their decision to carryout the peaceful protest to show their grievances is in order saying that complain is noted and action would be given to avert breakdown of law and order and movement of people from one location to another.
Levi Atuluku, who frowned at the consultant for his failure to remit what is meant to the TOAN said the the consultant has deviated from the agreement reached.
Some of the protesters carried harsh-tag such as, “Daramola Bayo must go”, enough of Bayo exploitation, Bayo is from Ekiti state cheating Us, Governor Ahmed Ododo must intervene immediately to avert break down of law and order.
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