Awka: Obiorah Anthony Ugwonwa
The Executive Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has denied in a concrete term any knowledge of imposing thirty-five thousand naira on keke riders in the state for installation of security tracking device on every keke in the state.
The Governor, who disclosed this in his office at Anambra State Government House, Awka while having an audience the representatives of the unit heads of the keke owners and riders in Awka metropolis who were in his office on solidarity visit to his administration, said that he did not know who approved the thirty-five thousand naira nor how it came up, describing it as ridiculous.
Professor Soludo, who maintained that the first thing was for him to thank them for organizing themselves in a very civil manner to come and lay their complains to him and assured the participants that he had heard their complains which he said centered on extortion.
He told them that his government is intentional in supporting them and Ndi-Anambra. He hinted that he understands how the roads they rid on were in Awka and environs before the emergence of his government two years ago.
The Governor, who asserted that the network of roads have improved significantly in Awka metropolis, lauded the keke owners and riders in Awka for collectively supporting the security profiling policy of the Anambra State Government and advised some of them who have not profiled their keke to do so immediately.
Furthermore, he also appreciated them for supporting his government in finishing his first tenure and their unwavering desire to equally support his second tenure bid in Anambra State and assured them that he will look into their complains.
Governor Soludo, noted that he did not know Comrade Osita Obi, but promised that he will invite him for interrogation, stressing that he has the holistic measures on how to tackle their complains.
Earlier, the Chairman, keke Owners and Riders in Awka Metropolis, Prince Collins Ozojiofor, started by thanking Governor Soludo for the wonderful work his is doing in Anambra State which includes, the health sector, security and infrastructure.
He applauded the governor for his immeasurable feats in not only Anambra State, but in Nigeria at large, Prince Ozojiofor, said that one of the reasons behind their visit was to make their accumulated grievances in Anambra State known to the Governor for urgent attention.
He recalled that before now they have been under going several security challenges attached to Keke operation in the state because their members were e used for robbery, kidnapping and sometimes cult related activities in Anambra State as a whole and he regretted that recently, two of their members were shot dead in Awka.
The Chairman added that when the State Government came up with the security profiling and routes identification at two thousand-five hundred Naira per rider agreed that they saw it as not only economic friendly, but affordable, confessed that they generally, without hesitation accepted the programme in good faith but regretted that it came to them as a great surprise that in the process of implementing the policy, one Comrade Osita Obi came on board and ordered that every Keke rider in Anambra State should pay thirty-five thousand Naira for the tracking device which they once unanimously condemned as unaffordable.
He remarked that they are not against the government security policy in the state by profiling the keke riders and their routes in Awka and Anambra State at large, for easy identification of their members, operating in Awka and everywhere in the state, with a view to curbing crimes in the keke transportation industry.
The Chairman, lamented that for Comrade Osita Obi to boldly tell them to pay thirty-five thousand naira was an idea they did not support. His cry was that they have been embarrassed, harassed and intimidated by Comrade Obi who has been extorting them unnecessarily.
He stated that as he was talking, some vigilante officials are at Aroma Junction, extorting two hundred naira from each of their members.
The keke boss, recalled that one of their members’ hand was shot recently by the vigilantes and that they were forced to pay twenty thousand naira to bail their keke whenever they are arrested by the vigilante. He stated that he did not know why Comrade Obi should continue to collaborate with the vigilantes to intimidate and extort.
The Prince, while speaking recalled that they supported the governor during the 2021 governorship election in Anambra State and assured that their votes are for him in the forthcoming 2025 governorship election in the state.
While narrating his own story before the Governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi, the Administrative Officer of the Association in Awka South, Comrade Ekenedilichukwu Nnaji, laid complain that Comrade Osita Obi in collaboration with armed vigilantes precisely collects Four Hundred Naira from every keke rider plying the Ifite-Awka-Aroma Junction axis of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway.
Some of the placard carrying keke owners and riders with the inscriptions, “Those Opposing Security Profiling are the Ones Committing Crimes and Criminalities in the Keke industry, We want to be profiled, Osita Obi leave the poor Keke Riders alone, We don’t have #35,000.00 to give you.”
They thanked Governor Soludo for his unrelenting listen ears to their plights in Anambra State and pledged their unwavering supports to his administration.
