Driver Protest In Akure Over Multiple Collection Of Fees By The Ondo State Ministry Of Transport

Human and Vehicular activities were today paralyzed on the always-busy Ilesa-Akure-Benin expressway, as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the Ondo state branch blocked the road for almost three hours, preventing the free flow of traffic.

The blockage was a result of a protest staged by the drivers over allegations of multiple taxation on their members by the State Ministry of Transport which they said as been “a tongue in the flesh.”

SaharaReporters has learned that the aggrieved drivers were chanting anti-government slogans, and solidarity songs calling for the removal of the Commissioner of Transport in the State, Otunba Nicholas Tofowomo.

Many of the drivers who spoke, also allege that Officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ondo State, collided with the Men of the 'Sunshine Traffic Corps' of the State Ministry of Transport. The collision is over billings spokesmen from the group claim their members have been hit with 'unnecessary taxes,' which they believe is illegal.

They revealed that at every bus-stop where they dropped their passengers, officials from the 'Sunshine Traffic Corps' always stop them, with embarrassing claims that have them demanding money for tickets that are not remitted to the state government's coffers.

In the words of one member, who declined to identify himself, "it is unfortunate that FRSC officers have now joined the Sunshine Traffic Corps of the Ondo State Ministry of Transport in holding us to ransom. Both of them have now work out a theory that by stopping us, where we park, it is an illegal place, and illegal for us to pick-up passengers in the wrong place.”

"The most painful thing is that, before you know what is happening” the source said, “they will surround you and chain your vehicle. Thereby, booking anyone caught (by this roving band) with a N25,000.00 fine instantly. If you don't pay, they will impound your vehicle, and they won't release it until you pay."

"Just tell me, what type of government do we now have in Ondo State,” said another driver, “with all this taxation in different forms? We can't accept this anymore. Tofowomo (Commissioner for Transport) must go, or he should leave us with our job. This driving job is what we use in feeding our families."

The protesting drivers further alleged that over 20 vehicles belonging to their members have been seized by the Sunshine Traffic Corps, with the help of Officers of the FRSC in Ondo State, and even abandoned them in their office.

One passenger revealed his experience during the seizure of a vehicle belonging to a driver. He said after he had boarded a vehicle, the manner, and tone of the Sunshine Traffic Corps is questionable, rude, and aggressive, and needs a thorough investigation.

The passenger also disclosed that alerting the Traffic Corps of illegal parking has compromised the officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). The claim of illegal parking, in effect was just wrong, and the official had booked the car of his driver for wrong parking, or illegally picking-up passengers at a wrong position.

"I am surprised that (the) FRSC men have joined this league of traffic corps in taxing and harassing our people in any circumstance. You will see them leaving their own job and running after transporters and taxi drivers, just to book them for N25,000.00. This aggressive activity is too much in this state, I do hope the government will intervene," the transport worker said angrily.

A source later told SaharaReporters that it took the effort of Officers from the Ondo State Command led by its Assistant Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, to quell the matter before it was later brought under control.

When contacted, the Commissioner for Transport in the state, Mr. Nicholas Tofowomo, said the drivers have been warned on several occasions to stop picking passengers up by the road side.

Tofowomo added that the State government built a Motor park for all transporters in the state, and they have been compelled to stay at their park to pick up such passengers. He stressed that all allegations against his portfolio are baseless.

SaharaReporters pressed further about the allegations of taxing the driver over wrong parking slots, but the Commissioner was fast to react, and said, "Yes, we always book them (with fines) ranging from N5, 000.00 to N25,000.00 if they go against the law of parking, and picking up passengers at a wrongful place. This is what they know.”

"Ondo state government has built a standard motor park for them. Let them go to the park and pick passengers and travelers up (from there,) instead of staying on the roads and picking up passengers, thereby causing traffic, and gridlock on our roads. We won't accept it," he said.

An official of the Traffic Control Corps in the Transport Ministry told SaharaReporters that the State government had given them a mandate in ensuring the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state through all available means of fetching money for the state.

With all of this, Tofowomo and his team had been receiving commendations from the state government especially during the weekly executive meetings (Exco Meeting) at the State House in Akure. At those meetings Tofowomo and other officials boast that through this initiative of 'booking' drivers who parked and picked passengers at a wrongful place, the state gains additional revenue.

Lagos Carnival To Hold On 21st April

Sanusi and the cover-up syndrome

Nothing has been more gratifying in recent times to many Nigerians than the dethronement of the man who went about as if he were the ‘Emir’ of the Nigerian financial instituions, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. As Mr Adebayo Adeleke, General Secretary, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), said in a report filed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and relayed on several news outlets, Sanusi’s suspension was long over-due. According to NAN, Adeleke also said that Sanusi’s tenure as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor should be investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EXPOSED: The Many Fraud and Financial Recklessness that got Sanusi Fired

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 The decision to suspend the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Sanusi Lamido was based on a report of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria dated June 7, 2013. The report was made after a review of Sanusi’s response to the query issued to him by the President over the apex bank’s financial statement of 2012. His response was dated May 20, 2013. According to a copy of the report obtained by our correspondent on Thursday, the council indicates that the explanation provided by the suspended CBN governor is “a clear display of incompetence, nonchalance, fraud, wastefulness, and abuse of due process and deliberate efforts to misrepresent facts on the part of the leadership of the CBN.”

Atiku Abubakar joins Instagram today

Nigeria's Former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar today joined the Instagram Social Media Network. Atiku could be quoted as making this promise some weeks ago in the wake of the New Year while sharing his Thoughts and Opinions on Nigeria, Politics, Elections and Social Media. "Looking back it has been an interesting ride. I’ve met and interacted with a lot of interesting people, endured a lot of hostility, and generally learnt a great deal.

True story! Rough edge to good life by simpa samson

Two things make someone tell their story. Either regret or happy ending mine happen to be both. It all started some 25years ago in the rough street of Lagos, after I lost my both parent to a motor accident. My world came crumbling down. They were my all, I never lack and never beg, so leaving that height to the lowest point was something no one will wish to pass through. I started eating from hand to mouth, eating from the waste bin of other people, and begging on the street. Life was not easy, I had to put up with fight, injuries and rape so as to stay alive and get shelter over my head. I was raped four times on the street on different occasion. One particular time, I was raped by six area boys. The most horrific scene in my life. After years of being a street kid, I eventually ended up as a club dancer. Well dancing was one talent God gave me, the unfortunate thing was that I had to use it to put food on my table the wrong way. Dancing in the club, came with me sleeping with some rich guys in order to earn more money to sustain my life. Abortion was like a regular thing for me, because I can't get pregnant except I don't want to eat. A colleague of mine introduced me to drugs, so I became addicted, and this drug don't come cheap at all. I spent most of my income on drugs and alcohol, engaged in gambling. I became addicted to all this things. I was a junkie, well that's the world I find myself. No one is ready to give you anything for free, so I make the money the only way I knew. One evening after the show at the bar, i met a business man from South Africa, he wanted sex, so I charged him heavily, so he paid me for a night stand, we went to his room, he took his bath, I took mine, and left the bathroom naked, walked towards him to start, he refuse and ask me to but on my cloth and sleep that he is tired. I told him: "sir, there are no refunds, you paid for my service, so this is me, cos ones it day break, your time expire" he said "no problem" and he still refused to touch me and we had no sex throughout, i asked, he said; i should be a housewife of a good man, and not a Prostitute, i couldn't help it, I explained to him that no man can marry me at 34 years of age with all my addiction and problems, he calmed me down and was sincere with me while sharing his past too, i thanked him and he gave me his complimentary card to call him. And three days later, he found his way to my living house and said he will like to marry me, he was with me throughout that day, he still insisted on not touching me, and that was the only way I think I could thank him for everything. He first took me to a rehabilitation home, I got myself cleaned up, then to a shrink. After six months of rehabilitation, now we are planning for a better future. This is my testimony, i believe in God the more since this incident. If the Lord can still look down to me and show me mercy, upon my atrocities and dirty ways, well I guess he still consider me worthy. I engaged in smoking, hustling, gambling and countless abortions in the past. I got a second chance to life at age 34 and a better future after God save my life. Well, will I say that I'm a lucky one, all the girls I started with, some ended up in the hands of ritual, some died of disease, some with tumour, but I never had any of those not even HIV. Well that's my story. Happy ending with past regret, but I'm happy now. I'm much at ease after shearing my story. Thank you. WRITEN BY SIMPA S SAMSONS. Simpa Saint Samsons Indipendent film-maker CEO, S.O.S21 Pictures International, Inc +2348036457162, Saintonios@gmail.com, Saintonios@yahoo.com BBPIN:294F2D1F

Ogun State Labor Party Guber Aspirant, Sina Kawonise Drags Amosun, others to Court over N19B loan

Former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Ogun State, and a prospective governorship candidate for the Labour Party, Mr. Sina Kawonise and two others have taken the Ogun State governor,Senator Ibikunke Amosun to court over the letter sent to the Ogun State House of Assembly requesting approval of the lawmakers to borrow additional N19billion to finance part of the year 2014 budget. In a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abeokuta in the Abeokuta Judicial division, with Suit No: FHC/AB/OS/17/14 between Sina Kawonise, Adekoya Boladale and Gbenga Soloki as 1st, 2nd and 3rd claimants respectively, has the Governor of Ogun State, Ogun State House of Assembly, OGHA, the Speaker OGHA, State Attorney-General, National Assembly,Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ogun State, Chairman Appropriation Committee, Ogun State House of Assembly, Clerk Ogun State House of Assembly, Sterling Bank, Eco bank, GT bank and FCMB as defendants.

Ogun Labour Party governorship aspirant kicks against Governor Amosun’s N19 billion loan request

Kawonise says Ogun already owes enough A governorship aspirant of the Labour Party, LP, in Ogun State, Sina Kawonise, has kicked against the N19 billion loan request sent to the Ogun State House of Assembly by the governor, Ibikunle Amosun. The request letter, read on the floor of the House by the Speaker, Suraji Adekanbi, on Tuesday, asked the Assembly to grant approval for the Amosun government to source a loan of N19 billion from four banks – First Bank, GTBank, Sterling Bank and EcoBank. Mr. Kawonise noted that the request was followed by a statement, a few days later, by the state Commissioner for Finance, Kemi Adeosun, claiming that the state owed N35.6 billion as at December, 2013. “Why is the Amosun administration so economical with the truth?

A True life story, Dangerous encounter of a house wife By Femi Fani Kayode

By Femi Fani-Kayode The best stories are usually the true ones. The following story is not only true but it is also revealing and remarkable. Please fasten your seatbelts, sit back and patiently read it. You never know, you may learn something from it. I certainly did. Here we go. Someone asked me the other day where I got the inspiration to write my poem titled “The Power of a Woman”. I told him that it came from the Spirit of God and that I also drew on so many

APC Splits, rebel group called New APC (nAPC) emerges as mass exodus to PDP begins.

In what look like a common denominator between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC), the APC has joined the ruling party in having their own version of new APC in Kwara State over irreconcilable indifferences. In a press release signed by Rev. Bunmi Olusona, Interim State Chairman, Kwara APC titled ‘We hail the emergence of ‘New APC’ (nAPC)’, and made available to @ReporterTimes, the Kwara State Chapter expressed their support for the Dele Belgore leadership of the state APC and said: “Members of the Kwara State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress APC wish to congratulate Mohammed Dele Belgore, (SAN) of Kwara State, former Governors Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano, Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto, M. Buba Marwa of Adamawa and other leaders across Nigeria for their wisdom in coming up with the idea of launching nAPC soon. This patriot action by founding fathers of APC will without doubt salvage our  great party from imminent implosion. We hail these leaders who have resolved not to allow the ship of this Party to capsize. They deserve to be encouraged and appreciated. We also want to specially congratulate our very own, Mohammed Dele Belgore SAN, for his resilience and steadfastness on the Kwara rescue project. We are convinced that he still symbolizes the change Kwarans seek. Premised on the strength of this powerful initiative, our appeal goes to our teeming supporters not to get stampeded into leaving the party.The  State Interim Exco. will soon embark on a tour of our local chapters beginning from February 5th, to educate and sensitize them on how to move the party forward. We also warn our members not to participate in any membership registration exercise organized and supervised Gov. Fatai Ahmed led Government or that of their agents like Alh. Lai Mohammed. We rely on the promise of our National Vice Chairman (North Central) to organism a rancor free but all inclusive membership registration exercise in Kwara. We share and hold on to this wise old saying that ‘after a long spell of darkness comes the light of hope’ we therefore appeal to our members to share in our optimism while they also remain steadfast within the party as we seek avenues for a peaceful, but reasonable resolution built on justice and fairness. Up till now, we have not lost hope that our party can be salvaged. We have this implicit confidence in the ability of the leaders of the APC to retrace their steps. No man has power to exercise any form of authority on another without his express consent. Nigerians today are asking core but fundamental questions about the Nigerian political system. Are our political parties any more ideological? Who are the true progressives? The twin questions on the lips of our members today are, a) what is progressive about our APC when the party is now peopled by the very enemies of this country! Is the APC truly different from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or any other political party in Nigeria for that matter?  As it is now, the only difference is that they are the same! Secondly, how morally correct is it for the new entrants to control both the ‘Government’ and the ‘Party’? As principled politicians, until our leaders correct these errors, setting up several committees by whatever appellation will not resolve the crises, It does not matter wether membership of such committees are drawn from another planet other than the one led by Chief John Oyegun of Edo State. For the umpteenth time, we reiterate that any arrangement that cedes the structure of Kwara APC in favour of the new entrants will lead to the defeat and humiliation of the party come 2015. Any assumed peace predicated on injustice will breed tsunami like crises. Should the APC be allowed to implode on the alter of this so called political expedience, hope of millions of Nigerians would suffer. Alh. Lying Mohammed does not represent Kwara APC, he has no electoral value here. Kwara people attach no importance to his press statements, here, he represents himself and a handful of people looking for political appointment from Gov. Fatai Ahmed and his boss. No one can be hiding somewhere in Lagos, deceiving Nigerians with press statements that does not reflect the actual state of affairs. Kwara is one of the most backward State in Nigeria today, has he said anything about the state of affairs here in 8 years? What did he say about the day light electoral robbery at the Offa LG re-run ? How many protests did he or his hangers-on participate in? When hundreds were sacrificed during the induced annual sallah stampede at Senator Saraki’s house, rather than say anything, he looked the other way and discovered a Catholic Church stampede in far away Anambra State. What has he said about poor Nigerians who lost all their meager savings in Societe Generale Bank, and Kwara State owned Trade Bank. What of Intercontinental Bank Plc, where 21billon naira loan guaranteed by Kwarans was diverted for private business of his new boss. Nigerians are watching. We implore him to come to Oro and hold political meeting with just 20 people who are citizens of that community. We make boast to say that we are the largest political family in Kwara of today, by the grace of God, wherever we move to, the pendulum swings in that direction. Its is believed that in the coming months, politicians from APC will begin to cross carpet to PDP in mass as that has already began in Upper and Lower legislative arms of Government. Awi funi ko to dani, baba ijakadi. Eni awifun, Oba je o gbo. Abo oro lanso f’omo luabi, to ba de inu e, yio di odindi. Rev. Bunmi Olusona Interim State Chairman, Kwara APC Follow @ReporterTimes and BBM: pin:2A215687