Commercial drivers under the aegis of CMS Taxi and Bus Nigeria Limited, Marina, Lagos, on Tuesday, staged a peaceful protest against the lock-up of their park by the Lagos State Government.

The protesters appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to have pity on them by unlocking the park for them to continue their activities

The President of the union, Alabi Kamorudeen, while speaking on behalf of the drivers during the protest in Marina, said the government recently approached the union for usage of their park for an event but it was later locked up.

Kamorudeen said: “Recently, Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa approached our union for usage of our park for an event, which we obliged but after the event, our park was locked up. We were later told that government wants to renovate and share the park to other unions that are not part of us.

“Since the park was locked up, we have been deprived of our source of livelihood, and many of our members have been rendered jobless. We are pleading with Governor Sanwo-Olu to consider the plight of the commuters that we serve.

Reacting, Sanwo-Olu’s special adviser on transportation, Giwa said the drivers were not being sincere on what really transpired.

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According to him, the park was locked up due to its operators’ refusal to register with the government, adding the park operators were operating without complying with state’s law.

He further stated that in the last five years, the union has not paid tax to the state government.

He however, added that the union’s leaders and government were already on a roundtable to settle the difference, promising that very soon, the issue would be resolved.