Nigerian Commercial Drivers Threaten Nationwide Strike Over Fuel Hike, Customs Duty, Low Wages | Sahara Reporters

The association said the problems confronting drivers had now gone beyond the issue of multiple levies and tolling points.

The Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN) has warned that commercial drivers may embark on a nationwide protest over the rising cost of petrol, increased customs duties, vehicle maintenance expenses and what it described as declining purchasing power among Nigerians.

The association said commercial drivers now spend between ₦50,000 and ₦100,000 on petrol daily to operate their routes, leaving many unable to save enough money to maintain their vehicles or meet their families’ basic needs.

In a statement signed by its President, Akintade S. Abiodun, and Publicity Secretary, Feyisayo Ajimatanrareje, JDWAN said the situation had deteriorated significantly since its 2022 statewide protest against multiple tolling points imposed on commercial drivers by officials and members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), popularly referred to as “agberos.”

The association said the problems confronting drivers had now gone beyond the issue of multiple levies and tolling points.

“A whole lot has got worse since our statewide protest in 2022 demanding an end to multiple tolling units by officials of RTEAN and NURTW, also known as agberos or garages and parks management in some states,” the association said.

“JDWAN has been bedevilled with much more catastrophic conditions that make the agbero problem minuscule.”

According to the group, the sharp increase in the cost of petrol has placed an enormous financial burden on commercial drivers and other low-and-middle-income Nigerians.

JDWAN claimed that petrol, which it put at about ₦180 per litre, had risen to around ₦1500 per litre, representing a 734 percent increase.

The association argued that workers’ salaries had not increased at a comparable rate to enable them to absorb the resulting rise in transportation and living costs.

It blamed the removal of fuel subsidy for worsening economic pressure on informal workers, low- and middle-income earners and businesses.

The drivers also linked Nigeria’s difficult operating environment to the exit, restructuring or downsizing of several multinational companies.

The association listed GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Ltd, Shoprite Nigeria, Procter & Gamble Nigeria, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Microsoft Nigeria, TotalEnergies Nigeria, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, Kimberly-Clark Nigeria, Diageo Plc, Sanofi-Aventis Nigeria Ltd, Equinor Nigeria, Bolt Food and Jumia Food Nigeria among companies that had either exited, divested, stopped some operations or changed their business models in Nigeria.

JDWAN said increased customs duties and the depreciation of the naira had also made vehicle repairs and replacement parts increasingly unaffordable for commercial drivers.

It cited the example of a serpentine belt, which it said previously cost about ₦2,000 but now sells for around ₦15,000.

The association also claimed that tyres previously sold for about ₦7,000 now cost more than ₦50,000, while an engine that previously cost around ₦250,000 could now cost more than ₦1million.

It further claimed that vehicles previously valued at about ₦1.5million now cost around ₦8million, attributing the increase to customs duties and the depreciation of the naira.

According to the association, many drivers can no longer set aside money for vehicle maintenance after paying for fuel and other levies.

“There is no driver that can save money to maintain their vehicle anymore. Once our car gets faulty, we have to go hunt for loans or park it somewhere and become beggars,” JDWAN said.

The association also explained that some drivers lose a substantial portion of their daily earnings to levies imposed at motor parks and on routes.

It claimed that drivers could lose up to 80 percent of their income to fuel costs and what it described as government-backed “agbero” collections, leaving little money for food and other household expenses.

The association also expressed concern that the economic hardship facing Nigerians could worsen unemployment, hunger and insecurity.

“If the biggest manufacturers can exit Nigeria because of the cost of fuel and anti-poor policies like increased custom duty, then how will drivers, SMEs and working Nigerian citizens afford it?” the association asked.

It argued that unemployment and hardship could contribute to social problems, including criminality and kidnapping, while stressing that hunger and lack of jobs could make vulnerable people susceptible to criminal activities.

JDWAN stated that Nigerians were paying heavily for petrol without receiving adequate relief through wages, infrastructure and public services.

“There is no oil-producing country in the world that pays so much for fuel like Nigeria without palliatives and subsidies in other sectors to cushion the effect with adequate infrastructure to show for it,” the association said.

It contrasted Nigeria with some non-oil-producing countries where, according to the association, workers earn substantially higher wages and have access to better infrastructure, healthcare, electricity and roads.

The group also complained about multiple tolling points allegedly imposed on commercial drivers, saying drivers in other countries do not face similar levels of unofficial or union-related collections along their routes.

JDWAN listed three major demands from the Nigerian government.

The association is demanding that the government: “Reverse the removal of fuel subsidy and reduce petrol prices to what it described as the 2023 rate of ₦180 per litre.

“Reverse the increase in customs duties to the 2023 rates.Increase workers’ salaries.”

The association said the current economic policies had become unbearable for many Nigerians and had negatively affected living standards, purchasing power and access to basic necessities.

“Of what use is a policy if it makes citizens not able to buy food, afford healthcare and life essentials for his family?” the group asked.

JDWAN also criticised the current minimum wage level saying ₦70,000 cannot adequately feed one person for a month, let alone a family, while arguing that workers earning less than $50 monthly cannot sustain decent living standards.

The association urged commercial drivers across the country to join its campaign for improved economic conditions.

It said it would await responses from the state and Federal Governments before deciding whether to embark on a nationwide protest.