By; Odeyemi Samuel, Akure.
Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Ondo State on Thursday staged a mini protest against the increment of the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government on Wednesday announced the removal of oil subsidy which consequently caused the increment in the price of petrol from N86.50 to N145.00 per litre.
To this end some members of the union who were not pleased with the development trooped out to major roads in Akure, the state capital, stopping all their members who were already on the road.
At about 8am, the protesters who were on the popular
Oyemekun road, Akure, were stopping all the commercial drivers, ordering all the passengers inside their cabs to get down in other to compel their colleagues to join the protest.
One of the protesters who identified himself as Rasheed said the NURTW members were out to express their displeasure over the fuel increment, noting that the development would compound their economic problem unless the government found solution to it.
He said “We just said we should come out to the road to register our displeasure over the current fuel price.
” We decided to make it a little protest that is why we did not carry placards, but we said if there is no taxi in the town to transport people, that will send signal to the government about the situation, the government has not done good by removing the subsidy at this time.”
However, as the protest was going on, an order reportedly came from the state secretariat of the union and asked the members to stop the protest and report at the office of the union located at Cathedral area of the town for a meeting.
It was gathered that at the meeting, the leadership of the union led by one of the leaders Mr. Ojo Adewole appealed to the members not to embark on protest so as not to give room for hoodlums to use the opportunity to cause chaos in the town.
A source said it was agreed at the meeting that transport fare should be increased by 100 percent at a shortest distance.
However, all efforts to reach the state chairman of the NURTW, Mr. Ariyo Adetula on the telephone were unsuccessful as his telephone line was switched off at the time of filling this report.
