Lagos (Thisday) – Luxury bus owners and about 12 other operators, who said their businesses have been affected by the decision of the Lagos state government to seal commercial transport terminals in Jibowu Yaba, have filled a suit to stop the government.
In their suit number ID/4603GCMW/17, they are seeking an order of a Lagos high court to stop the state government from restricting their activities on the Ikorodu Road-Jibowu /Yaba axis.
They also demanded a compensation of N500 million, which they said was “the aggregate loss” they have suffered since their respective terminals were sealed off. They explained that they resorted to litigation since all entreaties to the state government to reverse the restriction or reach a compromise, has so far failed.
The Lagos state government had in September 2017, given the transporters seven days to vacate the area and relocate to Ojota and Ojodu in compliance with a new transport policy which restricts all inter-state passenger and cargo operations to designated motor parks at various entry points to the megacity.
The state government is insisting that there is no place for inter-state operations on the Ikorodu Road/Jibowu corridor in the state’s transport master-plan.
The former Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Prince Olanrewaju Elegushi, last week reinforced the government’s stand, saying the operators’ activities also pose security challenges in the area.
Prince Elegushi, who spoke in his office in Alausa, argued that in addition to the operators occupying structures originally built for residential purposes and disturbing the flow of vehicular traffic, their vehicles also damage the welded wire fences demarcating both sides of the busy road.
“I hear they have gone to court…maybe they think that is the best way to resolve the issue,” the S.A to the Governor on Transportation, said.
Sources at the Transportation Ministry hinted the reporter of a new twist in the controversy, which is the claim by the government that the properties occupied by the operators in the area are private residences now used for commercial activities. The buildings also said to be affected by the 31-year-old Lagos Metroline project for which compensation was paid to the landlords long ago.
At the secretariat of the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBOB) in Alagomeji, Yaba, the National President, Prince Chukwuemeka Mamah, was said to be on Christmas vacation, but he confirmed in a phone conversation later, that the victims of the Jibowu clampdown had come together to seek redress in court.
Mamah disclosed that “before the last option of going to court,” various attempts were made by the transport unions to resolve the matter amicably with the state government, including memos which pleaded with Gov. Ambode to allocate plots of land with certificate of occupancy (C of O) to the transporters elsewhere.
The ALBON National President also described the Ojota Motor Park the inter-state transporters are being compelled to move to, as very unsuitable and inadequate for their kind of operation, even as he complained that the place had already been occupied by other operators.
Reacting to the claim that the inter-state transport operators are occupying residential buildings, Prince Mamah, said most of the properties have always been used as business premises, recalling that until the luxury bus firms came to the area many years ago, it used to be the den of criminals and miscreants.
“I know that one of the buildings used to be Faze 2 nightclub decades ago, while another one was occupied by an engineering company. I am also very much aware that one of the buildings presently occupied by a luxury bus firm used to be Crossroads Hotel those days. So, how come that suddenly the area has become strictly residential? ” he asked.
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The luxury bus transporters’ President argued that the operators should rather be given credit for making the axis safe after some of the businesses in the area collapsed and their owners abandoned their investments due to the menace of the hoodlums.
“Come to think of it, how can we are being blamed for traffic hitches? We are inter-city transporters and our operations last only between 6 am and 9 am.”
