There was pandemonium in the early hours of Thursday as commercial drivers in Calabar blocked major roads in protest against alleged multiple taxation, harassment, and extortion by both authorized and illegal enforcement agents in the state capital.
The protest, which affected major routes in Calabar, including areas around the University of Calabar, caused a gridlock as drivers barricaded roads to drive home their demand, as well as seek for urgent government intervention.
Speaking with journalists, Mr Etim Asuquo, a minibus driver, said in addition to the daily ticket payment of ₦700, operators are still harassed and fined under different subheads on a daily basis.
“We buy tickets every day, even on Saturdays and public holidays, yet they won’t allow us to work freely. If you stop briefly to pick a passenger, they accuse you of wrong parking and fine you between ₦60,000 and ₦100,000,” he informed.
“It is sad that in Cross River we buy ticket everyday including public holidays and Saturday for 700 naira which is one of the most expensive in the country. This is not so in our neighboring States,” Asuquo said.
Another driver, Elijah Nyong, explained that multiple agencies, including official transport task forces and security operatives, regularly extort drivers despite proof of daily ticket purchase.
According to Nyong, many of the drivers are graduates but there are no jobs, so, they resorted to driving to survive, yet they are embarrassed and overtaxed daily.
He said in a small city like Calabar, you cannot drive a short distance without being accosted and exploited by the Commercial Transport Regulatory Agency (CTRA), Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency (TRAMRA).
“Others are Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), ticket enforcement, police amongst others; in one short distance you can see four of these groups all struggling to get money from commercial drivers,” he said.
He said members of the commercial drivers association have lost confidence in their union leadership, accusing them of compromising with the authorities to further compound their woes.
Another affected driver insisted that enforcement activities often extend late into the evening, well beyond official hours.
“Government offices close by 4 pm, but ticket enforcement sometimes continues until 7pm, which is against the law because the enforcement should be from 10 am to 4pm.
“We will continue protesting until the Cross River State government addresses our concerns,” he insisted.
Responding to the protest, Special Adviser to the Governor on General Duties, Ekpenyong Akiba, said some of the task force groups mentioned by drivers are not officially recognised by the state government.
He announced a temporary suspension of all forms of taxation and enforcement linked to the complaints, pending a meeting with relevant agencies.
According to Akiba, since the drivers have expressed loss of confidence in their union’s leadership, government will take five drivers each from all the protest points to have a meeting with the authorities.
“We have invited representatives of the drivers for discussions. His Excellency is committed to ensuring that Cross River people are not exploited,” he said.
Also speaking, the Member Representing Calabar Municipality in the State House of Assembly, Mr Stanley Nsemo, condemned multiple taxation and pledged to escalate the matter if necessary.
“These drivers are essential to the economy of the state and when they are extorted, it affects the transportation fare and the ordinary masses bear the burnt,” he said.
As at the time of this report, security agencies had been deployed to strategic locations to maintain law order.
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