THE MEETING ENDED FOR CONSISTENCE

The character of the meeting held on 15 September, 2016 called by a pro-community organization named Campaign against Police Brutality Extortion and Killing of Innocent Citizens (CAPEKIC) was sharp in

demand for government to cut down the recent imposed levy on them at this time there is economic recession.

Majority of the bike men across different ethnic group residing in the community were in the same page of agreeing in the meeting that the Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government should “never” increase the levy. That they should live it the way it were (#50: 00 per bike men) than going ahead to increase it.

Some of the bike men who spoke when given the mega-phone said. “All the levies, taxes collected by the local government for many years haven’t been use to cater for the welfare of the poor people in the community”. What we have seen, he expresses anger was that “the public officers have used public money to become richer out from our sweat”.

Among the leaders of CAPEKIC TASK FORCE, one of them came out to informed other bike men the recent plan of the bureaucrat of MOAS, ANACOWA and ACOMORAN the affiliate of NURTW in a meeting they held want to increase the Union Ticket from #200: 00 to #500: 00 daily each bike man will be paying.

Saying this, he expressed bitterness in his tongue that instead of their Union Leaders to defend their interest against the whip of government policies, they were busy adding more to their problem by intending to come out with such additional burden they (bike men) won’t be able to carry on their shoulder in the long run, relating this to the economic challenges in Nigeria.

Immediately he said this there was uproar among other bike men present at the meeting (about 115 of them) that how will they survive this now that virtually everything in the market is sold with 100% per cent increment in recent time; due to the government inability curb the recession with reform policy. 

They want their Union Leaders to join them in the fight against the government imposed levy on them than sitting back to hold meeting on how they should increase their own pocket and add to the burden of their members (bike men) by fricasseeing them like meat, which to them wouldn’t aid to the struggle.

And as the discussion becomes sharper and clearer in both report and analysis in the meeting where many of them were in deeper attention, a report was dropped like an ice that the Union also intends to increase Security Ticket money from #50: 00 to #100: 00. 

The person giving the report as bike men and as CAPEKIC TASK FORCE said. “The security of the bike men weren’t the concern of those Union Leaders (the bureaucrat) to help protect them and their bike from the clinch of the police in this clime of economic hardship when majority of them have family to breastfeed”. 

Sometimes, when the policemen forcefully arrest their bike for no cogent reason, it is them that they will mobilize others to the Police Station peacefully to appeal for their members bike to be release with money, either with #3000: 00 or #5000: 00 with please; when they were paying for Security Due into the Union pulse, yet nothing is done to rescue their plight as union members.

 

Other bike men who later spoke warn others that they shouldn’t fight their Union Leaders no matter how worst it is, but to see the first enemy to be the government who have created this problem and given room to this abnormality okada riders are passing through.

He warns that all okada riders should stay away from violence and embrace the method of CAPEKIC by joining the movement to end victimization and oppression. He said. “This fight is not for guns or bombs. But this fight is between brain(s) to brains”. This for him, he continued. “I have been able to understand as method in this organization named CAPEKIC since I have been participating in the activities likewise the meeting to educate myself”. 

However, other key members of the pro-community organization who are socialists, activist etc also made some comments and proposal in regards to the struggle that has now enter another phase entirely. They said that all the bike men should be consistent in this struggle and learn to well organize themselves peacefully against any form of police brutality.

They also gave a report on the recent move made to put-up a draft for both representatives of CAPEKIC and leaders of the three (3) unions: MOAS, ANACOWA and ACOMORAN to have a diplomatic discussion on this matter about the recent imposed levy by the Council government on okada riders in Ajegunle and profane a method on how to deal with it collectively.

The proposal made in the meeting was for the okada riders to continue to organize themselves and expand the tactics of democratic elected TASK FORCE among their rank of their various Units, so to keep the struggle and campaign alive against police brutality and ant-poor government policies as matched ready to cut them to pieces whenever they (government officials) will it. The meeting ended up with a fighting fund among the bike men: #4, 070 to be used in organizing the struggle further and to keep the flame burning.      

  

Fidel Davynovich