By: Amb. Valentine Adese (JP),
Plateau State Joint Transport, Traders, and Marketers Associations have threatened to embark on a One-Day Warning Strike over the effects of the Plateau State Executive Order 003, 2024.
The Associations in a Press Conference today stated that the Order has brought untold hardship on its members and the common citizens in the state.
Reading the Press Text signed by over 9 Chairmen of the Associations in the Head Office of the Joint Associations, S. Abubakar Garba, the Chairman of the Jos-North chapter said, “It is with a heavy heart that we address you today. As you are aware of the pains and hardships our members and the common citizens of Plateau State are going through as a result of the signing and implementation of Executive Order 003, 2024 for the Control of Buildings and Vehicular Traffic in Plateau State wherein more than 25 trucks have been impounded by Mr. Hart Bankat, the General Manager of JMDB on behalf of Plateau State Government on the premise of violation of the said Executive Order on the first day of its implementation”.
The Chairman sadly disclosed that the State Government collects the sum of N500,000.00 fine for any truck impounded.
He said, “Some of the trucks impounded were not moving on the road, but were offloading at various stores/shops and were towed to the VIO office at Angolo Jos and the Government has refused to release the said trucks to its owners until the sum of Five Hundred Thousand (N500,000.00) is paid as fine for each truck.
“The last time we checked, we found that the roads in which the Government is barricading for us not to follow belong to the Federal Government, which the Federal Government constructed to ease movements from one state to another and for vehicular movement within the country.
“Based on this development restricting any vehicular movement on those roads is an infringement on our Fundamental Right of Movement as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended)”.
On the way forward, the Join Associations used their Press Statement to call on the Plateau State Government to respect their Fundamental Rights, and as a warning they would be embarking on a One-Day Warning Strike tomorrow, 3rd April 2024.
The text in part reads, “We, therefore, call on the Government of Plateau State to retract its steps on this Executive Order by releasing our impounded trucks immediately, provide designated routes for trucks, allow trucks moving goods to their states like Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe, Borno and Jigawa States, to use the Bye-pass roads to their various destinations and further urge the Government to construct truck terminals for the efficient working of the Executive Order and also to reduce the restriction time from 9.00 pm-6.00 am to 5.00 am -7.00 pm, to reduce the hardship faced by the truck owners and high cost of goods and services by citizens. In fact, at the moment, no truck owners are willing to convey any goods from other states to Plateau State, which has now led to an increase in the cost of goods and services.
“We will continue to use all available legal means for the enforcement of our Fundamental Rights.
“In fact, we have resolved to declare tomorrow, 3rd day of April 2024, as a warning strike to sit at home to show our dissatisfaction with the said Executive Order 003, 2024 and we shall continue until a lasting solution is found”.
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