MC Oluomo lowers fares, declares Lagos drivers won’t go on strike

The nationwide protest planned by organized labour groups would not include participation from the members of the Lagos State Parks and Garages Management Committee.

Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, commonly known as MC Oluomo, the chairman of the LSPG, said this on Tuesday during a meeting with representatives of the transport industry’s unions and operators.

“We, the state executives and the entire membership of Lagos State Parks and Garages gathered today in Lagos to evaluate the situation in the nation, particularly in Lagos, following the elimination of oil subsidies by the Federal Government,” he added.

“Following extensive deliberation and review, we spoke about the high cost of food, transportation costs, and other topics of public concern, particularly the proposal by the organized labor unions, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), to call workers out on strike action.

“After careful deliberation, we came to the decision that we will not take part in any strike or protest rally being planned to call the Federal Government’s attention to the subject under discussion in the nation.

The Lagos State Government has announced several interventions in the industry, so all members of the transportation family would be at work to safely transport people to their various destinations.

In order to lessen the impact of the Federal Government’s suspension of fuel subsidies, Akinsanya also proposed relief measures for commercial bus drivers and passengers at the meeting.

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According to the LSPG CEO, tickets previously offered to drivers at parks for N800 would now be N600, and all booking fees would be decreased by 25%.

Akinsanya, the minister of transportation, announced that some routes’ transit fares, which are currently N500, would be dropped to N300, while other routes’ N200 costs would be reduced to N150.

A 25% discount would be applied to tickets purchased through the union by commercial tricycle and motorbike operators, he added.

In addition to warning various executives of parks and garages to ensure compliance and announcing a task force team that would oversee the implementation of the orders, Akinsanya also announced the creation of a task force team. Those who failed to comply would face penalties.

All state executives, chairmen of the parks, and a few chosen union leaders would serve as the task force’s leaders.

The agency, according to Oluomo, would make every effort to avoid upsetting the general populace.

He said that the instruction came as a result of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s declaration about a decrease in bus fees.

The Lagos State Government has created an environment that is favorable for our operations. So there is no need for us to participate in any strike that may jeopardize the state’s calm. The state government has implemented a number of palliative measures, most notably a 50% drop in government-funded public transportation and a cut in the fares for our Yellow Buses. These steps will significantly lessen the impact of the elimination of the subsidy.

Additionally, we have started implementing internal reforms like union tickets and negative ratings of the Lagos State Government. The cost of transportation for commercial drivers will decrease as a result, according to Akinsanya.