TOUTS ON OUR ROADS: THE MADNESS CALLED UNION

                                   
                                          

I continue to marvel, to be taken aback and to get astonished at this crazy trend of people who are called Union controlling and running our roads. From Abuja to Lagos to Port-Harcourt to Kano, the trend is the same. Some able-bodied men are left to continuously harass people on the road in the name of union. Car owners who are financially strained and wish to use their vehicles to make some brisk business of carrying people and getting paid for this service are disturbed, harassed, extorted and ceaselessly embarrassed by these touts. People are compelled to pay as much as N7, 000 to N18, 000 by these extortionists and the authorities are watching. It is even more worrisome to see these touts harassing motorists who stopped over for their relatives to alight from their vehicle getting held down and forced to cough out thousands of naira to a group of brigandage, extortionists and I can also add, criminals. I learnt that prior to becoming a governor, governor Godswill Akpabio was a victim of these touts. Hence, upon becoming a governor, he banned their activities round his state. This is what we want to see all around Nigeria. It baffles me that most times, legally recognised security personnel would be around watching these touts display their madness, extort and harass people on the road without blinking an eye lid. Their activities at times cause accidents and near accidents on the road. I have, even on occasions complained to police men about this and they did not take it as a serious issue. However, we will not relent until this craze stops. I get to ask the following questions:

1.       Who is or are this union?

2.        What right do they have to exhibit such acts of touting, thuggery and stopping people from using their vehicles freely on the road as they want?

3.       Why do these people operate, intimidate, harass and extort money from people without being disturbed by the authorities.

4.       Why should police men be around watching these people operate without disturbing them?

5.       Knowing that the constitution gives right to freedom of association, why should these thugs and touts continue to compel people to pay them money that is not even going to the government coffers except may be to private people in government offices; corruption and must be totally condemned?

6.       Are these acts acceptable to government? If affirmative, it therefore means that anyone can organize people and with the backing of some people in government offices go ahead and begin to intimidate and extort huge money from people; state of savagery/state of nature.

7.       Assuming it is illegal for people to carry passengers with their vehicles, why should police abdicate her responsibilities to these touts? So many questions are begging for answers.

I am therefore asking well-meaning people to rise up and condemn this madness on our roads. Let us all join hands and put a stop to these highly condemnable, corrupt and criminal acts on our roads. I am asking you as a reader of this blog to talk to the right quarters and people so we can stop this madness. Comment below and let us know about your experiences. God bless you.