How Lagos deputy gov likens ‘Agberos’ to medical association

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

Obafemi Hamzat, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State has said the state cannot ban members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) known as ‘Agboros’ in the state.

Hamzat in an interview marking his 56th birthday said the constitution does not empower the state to ban them, stating that they are also like such associations as Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

Their various acts of recalcitrants according to him are not enough to ban them pointing out that they are into business like other bodies, but the government could remove any local government chairman of the association that disobeys the law and replace him with a new person.

“When you just say arbitrarily ban them, what stops you from saying I want to ban Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)? Do you understand? There are times government and NMA have issues; does that mean they should be banned? They are expressing their opinion. They might be wrong or right but they have the right to express those opinions.

“NURTW is actually a union recognised by law. I know some people say ban them,… remember these people are Nigerians; they are our brothers and cousins. So, one of the things we have been telling them is that if you are the chairman in Ajeromi and we see that there are all sorts of contraventions in Ajeromi, we will remove you as a chairman. We are not banning your union but it means you are incompetent,” he said.

He decried situations members of the association physically engage one another in fight, tearing off their clothes which cannot be seen in other parts of the world.

He harped on the need for attitudinal change in the way and manner they operate stating that what they need was to interactively engage them, not banning them, show them how it should work and how it works in other climes..

On the traffic congestion at Apapa ports, he said one of the challenges was as an economy, the country imports so much with little export which has caused congestion of containers that could not leave the ports when necessary chiefly for lack of goods to export with.

He stated also that there were mistakes made in concessioning the country’ports, the private owners of the ports can no longer be directed on how to manage their ports even when they are empty.

“In ‘concessioning’ there were mistakes. If you fly over the port you will see huge spaces that some of these trucks can go to, but it is a concessioner and you can’t just come and park in my own space,” he said.

Hazmat said all hope was not lost as the government is working tirelessly to bring relief to Lagosians on the port routes, as the state government is liaising with the Federal Ministry of Transport, Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), Nigerian Shippers Council, AMCON and Ogun state government.

He stated that though the ports were built many years ago when the population hasn’t grown as much as this, in line with that, the Lekki and Badagry ports are springing up.

“our ports have been built for long, and as people, we keep growing, so our population is much now that the port can no longer serve us conveniently.

“That is why the Lekki Port we are building, hopefully, it is going to finish soon and we can transfer some of these things there and hopefully to Badagry Port. When all of these come up, then we can conveniently say we have resolved the issue,

On whether the plan of the state government on moving the Mile 12 produce market to Imota in Ikorodu as conceived by the previous administration is still standing, he said everything in life changes with time.

“A lot of people are also asking us how easy will it be for them to get to Imota? Again you must engage people. But the Imota Market is under construction; it is about 1000 hectares but 500 hectares is currently under construction

“By the time we finish it, certainly, some things will be moved. Some are saying we should move the cattle market alone, but, as I said, the decision will be reached at the right time and we can then properly plan the Mile 12 Market and build stores instead of the mode currently used,” Hazmat said.