Many tricycle operators in Umuahia have rejected the newly introduced biometric capturing and verification exercise for their members in Umuahia and Aba.
This is even as they expressed misgivings over the plans to issue them with fresh driver’s permit, saying that the policies are draconian and mere revenue boosting ventures for the outgoing government of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. The Keke NAPEP operators, who spoke on the issue, said the policy was another avenue of extorting money from them by the outgoing government.
They wondered why tricycle operators should be targets of different taxation policies in the State, and advised the State government to jettison the plans for the interest of all. Some of the riders like Ephraim Chukwu, Barry Edozieobi, Kelechi Isiuwa among others maintained that they were not civil servants and as such, should not be forced to undergo any biometric exercise.
“We are not civil servants or ghost workers that they would want us to do biometric capture” said Barry Edozieobi, a 29-year-old graduate of Chemistry but now a tricyclist. He also suggested that obtaining of rider’s permit should be for those without valid copies and not for those with subsisting copies.
“In the last eight years, we have been made to paint our keke twice after paying heavy money to agents of Abia State government. We have also been made to buy waste bins from Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) and buy different types of ticket daily from touts claiming to work for government. In all these, why do they want us to do verification again?” the Chemistry graduate lamented.
Abia State ministry of transport had in a widely publicized announcements, given a 14-day notice to all tricycle operators in Aba and Umuahia to enrol themselves for biometric capturing exercise.
The statement by Mrs Ijeoma Okere, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of transport Umuahia directed the tricycle operators to come to the ministry of transport in Umuahia or approved cyber cafes to do the biometric. The government also directed the Keke riders to approach their respective union’s offices to enroll themselves, warning that no enforcement of the policy would start after fourteen days of the announcement.
The ministry of transport told the riders to comply with the directive in their own interest. Baring his mind on the issue, the Secretary of Tricycle Operators Association of Nigeria, (TOAN), Hon Edwin Anyanwu assured Keke men that they would not be extorted by the government.
