Drivers’ protest grounds Iyana-Ipaja route

Drivers’ protest grounds Iyana-Ipaja route
Commuters along the Iyana-Ipaja–Iyana-Iba corridor in Lagos were left stranded on Monday after commercial bus drivers withdrew services in protest against what they described as relentless extortion by traffic officials, police, road-safety officers and transport-union enforcers.

Drivers who spoke to reporters said daily demands for unofficial payments had become unsustainable. They accused officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) of regularly impounding vehicles and holding them for hours or an entire day, cutting off income for both operators and vehicle owners. Similar complaints were directed at the police, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), commonly called agberos.

The industrial action emptied parks and bus stops on a busy weekday route that feeds large residential and commercial districts.

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Passengers who could not afford motorcycle or ride-hailing fares waited for hours or walked long distances. Similar disruptions have hit other Lagos corridors in recent months whenever operators have staged walkouts over the same grievances.

The protest sits against a longer dispute. Almost a year after the Lagos State Government introduced a harmonised N800 daily levy meant to replace multiple unofficial charges, drivers say illegal collections have not stopped and in some places have increased. Operators on routes such as Mile 2–Badagry and Ikorodu have previously listed payments at parks, bus stops and informal roadblocks that can run into several thousand naira a day, on top of fuel and maintenance.

The Joint Drivers’ Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN) recently staged a week-long boycott over the same issues. After a meeting with the Special Adviser on Transportation, Sola Giwa, the association agreed to suspend the statewide action and hold further talks with recognised transport unions. The government pledged to help clear “miscreants” posing as union members from bus stops. Monday’s stoppage on the Iyana-Ipaja axis suggests the ceasefire has not yet taken hold on every route.

Police and LASTMA have not issued detailed public responses to the latest specific allegations. In earlier cases LASTMA has said it does not condone extortion and investigates complaints against its officers.

For commuters the immediate effect is familiar: fewer buses, higher informal fares on remaining vehicles, and a scramble for okada or walking. For drivers the argument is that unofficial levies leave little profit after a full day’s work and make it harder to keep ageing danfos on the road.

Both sides now wait to see whether the promised talks produce a lasting reduction in roadside collections or whether the cycle of protest and stranding continues.