Photo Caption
NURTW Lagos State Council Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo)
Road transport unions and associations operating in Lagos generate at least N123b annually according to a report obtained by Transport Day as generated by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).
It is believed that the money so generated come in form of ticketing and illegal levies on transporters who are forced to part with money at all bus stops in Lagos.
Prominent among these unions are the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), who are the two main unions recognized by the Lagos state government to operate intra-city.
Others are tricycle and motorcycle unions, some of who are also affiliated to the earlier aforementioned unions operating across the state.
The report recorded a total of 75,000 buses; 50,000 tricycles; and 37,000 motorcycles, just as on a daily basis, N3,000, N600, and N1,800 were levied on buses, motorcycles, and tricycles respectively.
These levies sum up to N82.1bn for buses; N8.1bn for motorcycles; and N32.9bn for tricycles yearly; making a total of N123.078bn yearly.
It is believed that members of these unions are well connected to politicians and are always useful during election periods, not just in Lagos state, but in all other states where they operate.
