The feud between the Government of Ebonyi State and members of the Commercial Transport Operators over relocation of their depot’s may have gotten out of control as they have announced withdraw of their services from all parts of the state from Thursday, October 7, 2021.
National chairman of the Association of Mass Transit Operators (AMTO) Chief Gregory Inyaba stated this in a Press Conference on Wednesday after an emergency meeting of the Association on Wednesday in Enugu.
Inyaba said the blacklisting of Ebonyi State followed unprovoked attacks on staff and facilities, especially vehicles of their members by cultists and thugs allegedly engaged by government officials since Tuesday.
He said “several staff of transport companies in the state capital have been decapitated and numerous vehicles damaged, some beyond repair, since attacks by government approved thugs began the onslaught against transporters on Tuesday.”
Condemning the attacks, AMTO National President, said it was unprovoked, unwarranted and amounted to open hostility to business and investment, hence the boycott.
He said that members of Public Transport Owner Association of Nigeria, were also part of the boycott decision.
He said “from tomorrow, Thursday, October 7, 2021, no commercial vehicle, shall go to Ebonyi or leave the state”, he declared.
“The government of Ebonyi State has asked us to leave the state and we have no choice but leave the state for them henceforth”.
Vehicles belonging to members, with passengers, from other states were similarly attacked on Wednesday, a development Chief Inyaba said made the state a dangerous, a hostile ground to commercial vehicles and operators.
“How can you attack vehicles coming into Ebonyi with passengers from other states,” he queried, adding “it means a declaration of hostility and safety of clients cannot be guaranteed”.
The AMTO President directed members of all transport unions in other states of the country to note the directive to boycott Ebonyi State from Thursday, and comply accordingly.
“Do not load passengers from anywhere to Ebonyi State, and members who are inside Ebonyi State must not load passengers out of the state, no matter the circumstances,” he restated.
The union condemned the attempt by the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Transport,
Onyebuchi Nwebonyi to force their members to abandon their well developed premises/depots within the state capital and move to a virgin farmland in the outskirts, without first developing the premises.
“Each operator had paid various amount of money ranging from N1million to N4 million for spaces in the proposed new park, but no development had begun there, making the sudden quit notice out of the capital city, inexplicable, according to the operators.
He said that all operators had had many buses smashed up since Tuesday. “Peace Mass Transit (PMT) was worst hit. Eight of his vehicles was damaged on Tuesday and two today (Wednesday).
Ebonyi State chairman of AMTO, Fred Nwogbaga said a scheduled meeting of the state Exco members with commissioner, Eze Nwachukwu Eze, ended abruptly when the commissioner excused himself and promised to return, but never returned.
“We shall continue to seek to engage the state government to end their brigandage. It is so painful to willfully destroy the investment of law abiding entities, without justification,” he lamented.
When contacted, Onyebuchi Nwebonyi justified the sealing of the transport operators terminals and depot’s but denied that no vehicle was destroyed.
“We gave them six months to relocate to their new parks but they refused to do so.”
