Ogun State Government has warned transport unions operating illegal parks on road setbacks along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, especially those in Isheri and Kara axis of the state.
It, however, threatened to impound vehicles at such undesignated parks.
Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Environment, Farook Akintunde, gave the warning when he led the state’s special taskforce on environmental compliance and enforcement to Isheri and Kara to warn the transporters on the implications of their illegal parks.
He said the nefarious act amounts to testing the will of the government despite several meetings and warnings with government officials on the need to leave the areas for government designated parks.
Akintunde said the recovered setback from earlier demolition of shanties and makeshift structures on them was meant to be beautified to reflect the state’s industrial status.
According to him, while traders have left the roadsides and moved to markets, the transport unions and their members have now moved their vehicles to the cleared areas despite the presence of government officials who are busy cleaning and landscaping the area in preparation for beautification of the area.
The SSA to the governor said the action of the unions was not only annoying and obstructive but testing the will of the government to carry out its legitimate responsibility.
He said the state government would not fold its arms and watch the transporters constituting another nuisance in the axis through their illegal parks as this is an affront to constituted authority.
He assured the public that the axis would soon wear a new look that befits the state as the beautification would soon commence.
He also solicited their cooperation to make the exercise a huge success.
In his response, Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Isheri-Olofin branch, AuduDagwa, while apologising on behalf of its members, assured the state government of their cooperation, adding that any of its members caught operating in the illegal park should be sanctioned.
