22nd July, 2019
Mrs Tina Ikwuegbu, the Information Officer in Abia Ministry of Transport, says the ministry has initiated measures to end the lingering crisis among the different tricycle unions in the state.
Ikwuegbu said this in Aba on Monday, while speaking on the efforts of the ministry to organise the unions and ensure harmonious relationship among them.
She said that the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Patrick Irokansi, had scheduled to meet the leadership of the unions on Wednesday in his office.
She said that Irokansi was concerned about the crisis facing the unions and was determined to resolve the issues at stake in order for the unions to move forward.
Ikwuegbu also said that the ministry was planning to strengthen the various units of the Abia State Tricycle Operators Association (ASATOA) for better coordination.
She said the ministry arrested four members of another group, known as Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN), for allegedly causing trouble among members of the tricycle unions in Umuahia.
Ikwuegbu said: “TOAN should stay with ASATOA. I do not know what they want.
“They said they want to get another chairman and the state government said if they do not want to stay under ASATOA, they should go to another state and operate there.
“They have to follow state policy that supports one umbrella body, which is ASATOA, for tricycle operators in the state.
“Government wants it so, to enable control and checks that could help reduce the use of tricycles for criminal activities in the state,” Ikwuegbu said.
She said that TOAN was causing problems for the state by issuing serial numbers to tricycle operators different from the one approved by the state for ASATOA.
“This caused security breach, which was the reason government warned TOAN to leave the state, if it inisists to be independent of ASATOA due to greed,” she said.