By Hunvio Elizabeth A Badagry based veteran journalist, Podo Segla Sunday, popularly known as Podo Mighty Pen, has issued a strong public ...
By Hunvio Elizabeth
A Badagry based veteran journalist, Podo Segla Sunday, popularly known as Podo Mighty Pen, has issued a strong public call on Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu, to urgently dismantle what he described as the stranglehold of the National Union of Road Transport Workers NURTW on Lagos roads, warning that the situation has gone beyond control and is inflicting deep damage on the state and its people.
In a widely circulated Facebook post on Sunday, the New Telegraph correspondent accused the NURTW of operating above the law across Lagos, turning bus stops and motor parks into zones of harassment, extortion and chaos, while government authority remains largely absent.
According to Segla, the activities of the union now outweigh whatever benefits it may once have offered the state. He lamented that commuters are routinely harassed, roads obstructed and transport fares imposed arbitrarily by NURTW members without any form of government regulation or oversight.
He listed what he described as facts Lagosians can no longer ignore, alleging that nearly all commercial vehicles under the union fail to properly renew their particulars annually, a situation he said is costing the state billions of naira in lost revenue. He further accused NURTW drivers of routinely violating traffic laws, including the illegal use of BRT lanes, with little or no consequence.
Segla also criticised the recent hike in transport fares during the Christmas period, noting that despite a reduction in fuel prices in December, fares were deliberately increased, worsening the economic hardship faced by residents. He argued that transport pricing in Lagos is not driven by market realities but by the whims of union leaders who decide what commuters pay at any given time.
The veteran journalist further accused the NURTW of decades of revenue collection from parks and commercial drivers without any corresponding investment in modern transport infrastructure. According to him, the union has failed to build standard garages with basic amenities, operating instead from beer parlours and makeshift joints where daily activities are coordinated.
He expressed concern that the state government has allowed the union to occupy major roads across Lagos, leading to congestion, obstruction and restricted vehicular movement. He alleged that rather than investing in parks and garages, some NURTW leaders have diverted resources into building hotels and shopping plazas for personal gain.
Describing the situation as organised exploitation rather than unionism, Segla warned that Lagos cannot credibly aspire to be a smart city while public transportation is controlled through intimidation, force and touting.
He therefore called on Governor Sanwo Olu to take decisive action, demanding a full investigation into NURTW revenue collection and fare control practices, strict enforcement of vehicle registration and traffic laws, removal of illegal motor parks from major roads, and the establishment of a government controlled fare regulation agency.
Segla also called for an end to what he described as the NURTW monopoly over public transportation in Lagos State, insisting that the city belongs to the people and not to transport touts.
Concluding his statement, the veteran journalist urged the governor to act without further delay, stressing that enough is enough and that Lagosians deserve a transport system governed by law, order and accountability rather than fear and exploitation.
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