Minibus drivers, commonly known as “Korope,” have staged a protest over the excessive levies imposed on them by transport union workers, referred to as “agberos.
” The protest, which took place at the Ministry of Transportation in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, involved drivers operating along the Mowe-Ibafo-Arepo axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The protesters, carrying placards with messages like “Korope drivers say no to multiple tickets” and “Governor Abiodun come to our aid,” decried the financial burden these levies have placed on them.
They said the multiple daily ticket payments, totaling up to N8,000, are worsening their economic hardship.
Abiodun Owolabi, one of the drivers, complained about the continuous rise in ticket costs, sometimes increasing weekly.
He explained that they are required to buy tickets at nearly every stop along the route, with the total reaching about eight tickets per day, costing around N10,000 to N11,000.
Owolabi added that these fees, along with other charges, are significantly cutting into their daily earnings.
Another driver, Moses Prosper, expressed his frustration, saying he had lost his job due to his inability to keep up with the high payments.
He called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene, saying the economic situation has left him struggling to provide for his family.
The drivers also alleged that the agberos justified the increases by claiming they were following directives from the Ministry of Transportation. They appealed for a single, unified ticket system to cover their daily trips and urged the government to curb the excessive levies or remove the agberos from the roads.
An official from the Ministry of Transportation advised the protesters to formally submit their complaints in writing to the commissioner, promising that the matter would be addressed once they did so.
