Guardian

THE Lagos State government in August 2012 banned the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), touts (popularly called Agbero) and other unions from collecting money from commuter bus operators in the state.

Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, who unveiled the policy, said it would enhance the ease at which stakeholders in the transportation sector do businesses.

“Henceforth, union activity is no longer allowed in all garages in the state. What they need to do now is operate the way other unions do, by using a recognised office.

“No union members should be seen on roads collecting money from transport operators. It is illegal, and this is how it is contained in the white paper adopted by the state government,” Opeifa had said.

For a while, arrests and the overzealousness of law enforcement agencies indicated government would win the war. And as if to confirm this, the touts took to their heels. The move brought a semblance of sanity to motor parks.

Many residents, however, voiced pessimism, saying that with the government’s history of discontinuity at policy enforcement, the dogs have only a short while to bark, if at all, bite. Others argued that the rough and wild-faced money extortionists are a reserve army for politicians, as instruments for intimidation and rigging. They conclude that with such undercurrents, the directive would not last.

Sadly enough, eight months after, the touts are back. It is business as usual at all motor parks and bus stops. Like the proverbial ram, which retreats and launches a fiercer charge, they now harass drivers with renewed frenzy.

In order to evade identification, they have put off their green and white coloured uniforms and done away with their whips. They lurk around in mufti, like ordinary passengers, run up to drivers and demand various illegal sums. For picking up or discharging passengers at parks, they squeeze out fixed amounts. In bizarre instances, drivers are even required to part with money for using U-turns.

Avoidable chaos and traffic jams attend these activities, and stubborn drivers are made to face instant judgment, like the disappearance of a side mirror, wiper, seat, or a smashed windscreen.

While the ban on use of motorcycles gains strength, the same cannot be said of the embargo on NURTW members and touts. Commuters bear the brunt of increase in fares after drivers have been forced to cough out N2000 daily at bus stops. This is besides N3000 or more paid for tickets. Many drivers shun certain bus stops to avoid some of these illegal demands.

A driver, Ayinla Ibrahim, told The Guardian that the return of Agbero is frustrating drivers in the state. He also alleged that some of the touts pay bribes to the police and other law enforcement agencies to turn a blind eye.

“Government should make the law effective, like the ban on commercial motorcycles. They extort us unnecessarily and government have closed their eyes to our plight,” he lamented.

Another, Mr. Samson, said some drivers have hung their keys and joined the unions, considering the latter option more lucrative than driving around the city with little or nothing to show for the effort.

“They (touts) make money regularly because commuter buses alway*s use the roads and pick or discharge passengers. If government doesn’t stop them, this frustration would continue,” he said.

Passengers continue to groan under the pains of yet another law rendered impotent by a government’s inability to enforce its own directives. As a result, commuters pay more because touts indirectly determine fares.

Several phone calls to Opeifa to comment on the state government’s effort at curbing the activities of touts were not answered. An SMS was also sent. As at the time of filing this report, the commissioner is yet to give any response.

COMMERCIAL drivers and residents in Lagos State have called on Governor Fashola to come to their rescue by removing touts from bus stops in the state.

Some of the drivers who spoke to The Guardian lamented that the miscreants are making life intolerable for them with persistent forceful demands for money.

A driver who plies the Ojota/Ikorodu route daily said the touts often dictate fares: “They tell drivers the amount they should carry passengers and name their share before bus conductors are allowed to operate. They might request N500. As a result, we also would step up the fare from about N50 or N70 to N150 or N200.”

Mr. Sule Sanni, a driver said whenever he stops to pick up passengers, the touts demand N200. And if he refuses or offers to pay N100, they would damage his vehicle. He also blamed the miscreants for hike in fares and urged the government to get rid of them.

Mrs. Funke Adeosun, a commuter, said: “If the government banned the use of commercial motorcycles (Okada), it can also ban Agbero in the state. In Ibadan, you will hardly see any tout in bus stops or motor parks. But in Lagos, the reverse is the case. They even dictate to drivers the fare commuters must pay.”

Mrs. Muibat Omisore, a trader at the Iyana-Ipaja bus stop said that apart from forcing commercial drivers to part with money, touts also snatch bags from commuters at night. She prayed the government to rid the state of the nuisance.