A chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State and Chairman of Zone C, Alimosho, Alhaji Azeez Abiola Istijabah, has urged residents and transport operators to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, in next year’s general elections.
Istijabah made the call at the weekend during an empowerment programme for tricycle operators in Alimosho, where he distributed brake oil, tyres, pointers and other essential maintenance items to operators in the zone.
He said the Tinubu administration had taken steps to address challenges in the sector, particularly through the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol.
Istijabah said the initiative had provided relief to operators struggling with petrol costs, noting that a tricycle operator could spend between N15,000 and N17,000 daily on petrol, compared with about N4,000 they spend on CNG.
He commended Tinubu for promoting CNG and other policies aimed at reducing transportation costs, adding that the deployment of CNG-powered buses and tricycles would help ease the financial burden on operators.
Istijabah also urged the beneficiaries to mobilise their family members, friends and associates to vote for Tinubu and Hamzat in 2027, saying the APC had performed creditably at both the federal and state levels.
Beyond the CNG initiative, he said the union had commenced a quarterly safety monitoring programme across Lagos to inspect commercial buses, tricycles and motorcycles and identify vehicles requiring repairs or maintenance.
He said: ‘ The union would provide essential maintenance items, including tyres, mirrors, wipers and engine oil, to operators whose vehicles required them, as part of efforts to reduce avoidable road accidents and protect passengers.’
He explained that the monitoring exercise would be conducted every three months, with union representatives visiting motor parks across Lagos to assess commercial vehicles and follow up on identified safety concerns.
He urged transport operators to comply with Lagos State traffic regulations and cooperate with relevant government agencies, stressing that maintaining the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles was a shared responsibility.
The NURTW chieftain also commended developments in Lagos’ transportation sector, particularly the Blue, Green and Red Line rail projects, saying continued investment in the sector would benefit both residents and operators.