Following the demolition of the park of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Mile 2, the union has appealed to Lagos State Government to relocate its motor park.
The popular park which was demolished on 1 March after a week’s notice houses transport companies that move people to 24 states in Nigeria and some West African Countries like Ghana.
The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMORG) NURTW Amuwo Odofin branch chairman, Ajele Abayomi, told reporters that three weeks before the demolition, over 20 million was spent in fixing the roads leading to their offices, and it was unfortunate that as transporters, they depend on loans.
Also the managing director, AA Motors, Abayomi begged the Lagos state governments to come to their aid by providing space for them as some people have lost their jobs and are running at a loss.
The demolished park accommodates over 50 vehicles belonging to AA Motors, Iyare Motors, Lamb of God Motors, Liberal Motors, Prince line, and more and members operate from the park to 24 states in Nigeria, BusinessDay learnt.
“Since the demolition took place, most of the citizens find it difficult to access various states. We are appealing to the governor if they can provide space for us to accommodate 50 buses so that we can carry out our operations without causing traffic,” Abayomi said.
Abayomi noted that there was no formal information regarding their eviction. “They didn’t notify us,” he said. “We only noticed that on Tuesday they pasted stickers on our offices, requesting that we leave within 7 days. On Sunday which was the fifth day they carried out their operation.”
He added that they presently do not have any space, saying that if they had been given a notice, they would have appealed to the government to consider them.
“What we are appealing is that the government provides us with space for 50 motors for everyone to carry out their various operations,” he said.
Since the park was reduced to rubbles, there have been efforts to meet with the Commissioner for Transport and the Director of Physical Planning, for them to be included in the State’s plans. But it has been a fruitless venture.
“We are planning to have an appointment with him but we have not been able to see him yet” noted Tunde Raji, member of NURTW and owner of Raji BK Motors.
Raji added that the area they are now being evicted from was once waterlogged and unusable until it was developed by the union which spent millions of Naira sand-filling the place.
“We have been complementary partners to the State Government within Amuwo Odofin LGA on many developmental programmes which include; revenue collection boosters, complementing security arrangements for peace, creative employment strategies, inter-house sports competition among students in Mile 2 and unflinching political support for the ruling party in Lagos and Nigeria,” Raji said.
Now at the brink of nonexistence, the park has been existing in the community for over 40 years.
