Many commuters in the Mararaba-Nyanya-Kurudu axis of the Federal Capital Territory were stranded on Tuesday as operators of commercial tricycles stayed off the roads in protest.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the operators were protesting alleged extortion by some union officials in the area.
The FCT Chairman of Keke Operatives Positive Initiative (KOPI), Mr Suleiman Babaji, told NAN that his members woke up on Saturday to the sudden hike in daily ticket fee by the union at Mararaba Park.
“We woke up on Saturday to the sudden hike in ticket fees issued at the Mararaba Park.
“The increase from N100 to N200 prompted an emergency meeting of unions, after which the protest was declared,” he said.
Babaji said a coalition of unions were involved in the protest to demand reversal of the ticket fee.
He added that there were other recurring issues that prompted the protest.
Babaji, who said the operators were setting up a temporary park in Mararaba, maintained that only N100 would be paid as ticket fee.
He, however, expressed optimism that the protest would end on Wednesday or Thursday.
One of the operators, Mr Emeka Nwafor, described the hike as unfair, noting that other parks still collect N100.
He said the operators canvassed the retention of the old rate to reduce the burden on operators and passengers.
NAN reports that many commuters now rely on commercial motorcyclists at exorbitant rates to get to their destinations.
Mrs Abigail Bolaji, a commuter, told NAN that she waited for more than an hour before getting a commercial motorcyclist.
“ On Tuesday, I waited for about an hour before getting an affordable motorcycle ride from my house to my bus terminal,” she said.
Mr Ebube Peters, another commuter, told NAN that he had been forced to now rely on motorcycles at exorbitant rates.
NAN
