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In what could be described as a daring showdown with the Lagos State Government, container truck operators in the State under the aegis of the Joint Council Of Seaport Truckers (JCOST) has directed its members to ‘down tools’ until the government reverses the directive it issued to truckers recently.
It will be recalled that the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, had given an ultimatum for truck drivers to move only at night between the hours of 9pm and 6am, on the wake of the recent accident in Ojuelegba involving a fallen trailer.
The coalition of truckers have exonerated its members from any blame, insisting that the issue of truck-related accidents on the road is not merely the fault of the drivers alone, but also that of the government as many of the roads are in poor shape.
Furthermore, the group noted that working at night will not just make their job uncomfortable but will also pose grave risk to the lives of its members. It challenged the government to provide armed policemen to each truck moving at night, at the expense of the State, if it was serious about implementing the dust-to-dawn directive.
While stating the position of the group, the chairman of JCOST, Kayode Odunowo, reiterated that the strike action will be total until the government is ready to bring a better option to the table.
