BRT Drivers Down Tools Over Alleged Non-Payment of December Salary
Passengers utilizing the Lagos State Bus Rapid Transit system experienced an unexpected halt on Sunday as drivers from Primero Transport Services Limited went on strike, citing grievances over the purported non-payment of their December salaries.
At the Ikorodu BRT terminal, our correspondent noted the emergence of long queues at all boarding points, where passengers patiently anticipated the arrival of buses.
Expressing his discontent, Sam, one of the passengers, revealed that he had been standing in line for almost two hours without any sign of a bus.
“Many passengers have left the queue to board yellow buses. You know how those ones take advantage of this type of situation. I heard that they’ve increased their fares because they can see passengers stranded here,” he added.
Asked if he was aware of why BRT buses were not coming, Sam said he was not aware, “and no one has come to address us. We’re just here waiting endlessly.”
During a telephone discussion with The Punch, a Primero TSL employee, who opted not to reveal their identity due to a lack of authorization to discuss the issue, disclosed that drivers employed by the company are presently on strike.
“The strike started yesterday (Saturday). They are on strike because their December pay has not been given to them,” he said.
When inquired about the expected duration of the strike, a Primero employee commented, “The issue might be resolved either tomorrow or even today. I don’t anticipate it dragging on for an extended period.”
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Efforts to establish communication with Mr. Fola Tinubu, the Managing Director of Primero, were unsuccessful, with calls to his phone going unanswered and a text message remaining unresponded to at the time of reporting.
Similarly, an inquiry email sent to Primero’s official email address had not elicited a reply as of the press time.
Attempts to reach Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, the Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, also proved fruitless. Calls to her telephone were unanswered, and a text message sent to her remained unacknowledged as of the time of filing this report.
