TELL Magazine

Tired of paying for multiple tickets on the Oyigbo – Port Harcourt route, commercial drivers plying the route blocked the road, causing serious traffic on Monday. The drivers, who said they would not leave the road until they got assurances from the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, said they can no longer buy tickets at virtually every bus stop on the route as they could not make ends meet again. An attempt by the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyigbo, Ibe Alex, to get the protesters to leave the road and discuss their grievances with him failed. A resident of Oyigbo, Stephen Didanda, said it was disheartening that motorists plying Oyigbo routes were still paying levies and taxes to the local government when all the roads in the area were in a terrible condition. “If that (paying levies) still occurs, please it should stop. That’s inhuman treatment and gross injustice to humanity. Such roads are not worth paying taxes for.”

Alwell Nwagboso, an engineer and also a resident of Oyigbo, said, “Will the new council executives claim ignorance? Agreed they just came in, but I thought the Chairman dissolved all existing standing revenue committees? Yet, as of Saturday, those guys (revenue agents) were still on the road. Or have they set up new ones (revenue committees)?