AGBERO – A parallel army, the police of politicians, and election results logistics -By Issa Babatunde Ahmed

Isn’t it incomprehensible that organized extortion rackets of young Nigerians with no or just an iota education and a predisposition for violence are being put in charge of one of the most essential basic amenities of the country?

Transportation is a non-separable part of any country, an important sector of the economy, and a common tool used for development, an economy with a deficient transportation capacity can lead to economic costs such as reduced opportunities and lower quality of life.

The National Union of Road Transport workers is a supposed independent Nigeria trade union that should be serving the interest of transport workers in the road transport sector but have become a menace to the entire country, causing havoc and promoting thuggery by turning themselves into an arm of government violently collecting money at every spot,  fees such as “booking fees”, “chairman levy, owo security (security money) owo aro” (morning fees) afternoon and evening levies, the moment the drivers commences a journey he begins to pay levies from one bus-stop to the other, harassing not just commercial drivers but also harassing citizens, reasons for major hikes in transport and they cannot be tamed because they are important political monsters.

These parallel army, the police of politicians, and election results logistics are unchecked simply because they are tools in the hands of politicians and they are rewarded by generating free money through extortion and harassment for themselves, known to lavishly party with Fuji artists while there are no proper bus stops with deteriorating bus parks and contributing to reckless driving by dragging and hitting drivers while driving.

These motor park officials popular called Agberos have continuously destroyed vehicles accessories, violently grabbed conductors unleashing different types of mayhem, pandemonium, vandalism, looting, and making life difficult for motorists and passengers, on several occasions, commuters ended up stranded when the hoodlum sect clash with law enforcement agencies or commercial motor/motorcycle operators over toll collection.

These raucous and uncultured behaviors of the NURTW have led to the deaths of innocent citizens, reasons some states have suspended the union for peace to reign coupled with the alarming rate of insecurity in the country with election approaching  there’s a need for urgent redirection of the union because they are not providing any valuable services to the society rather than violence especially in the tussle for the leadership when struggling for the control of motor parks.

What is NURTW to a layman rather than seeing the poor extort the poor ordered by the rich, Agberos offers nothing despite making millions on dailies, no insurance policies for drivers, or database of registered commercial vehicles, no single policies in place that will improve lives of drivers, protect passengers or improve road transportation in general.