Guber Candidate Faults Scrapping Of Keke Daily Fee In Enugu

The governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Enugu State, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, Sunday, described the scrapping of N750 each day ticket charge charged on Keke operators by the state authorities as “last minute political gestures”.

THE WHISTLER reported that the scrapping was introduced by Gov Peter Mbah over the weekend when the operators drummed assist for his reelection come 2027. The governor additionally prolonged the operations interval of the operators from 9pm to 10pm. The authorities of former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi imposed the restriction because of insecurity.

Ohaa, in a launch signed by his media aide, Sampson Ukwu, said that the ordeals handed by by Keke operators within the state wouldn’t be swept beneath the carpet.

He stated, “We have not forgotten the long period of hardship faced by Keke drivers and other small business operators under this administration. We have not forgotten the earlier attempts to restrict Keke and minibuses from major roads in Enugu. We know the difference between consistent governance and last-minute political gestures. A government that remains silent when a Keke rider dies, then suddenly offers concessions during a political event, cannot expect the people to forget the past. These last-minute measures are dead on arrival. Enugu people are wiser now.”

Ohaa additionally claimed that Gov Mbah didn’t challenge any assertion to sentence the dying of a Keke operator, one Friday Nwobodo, alleged to have died at Garriki within the palms of the state activity pressure.

Quoting him, “After years of heavy daily tickets, task-force harassment, movement restrictions, and the painful death of Mr Friday Nwobodo from Umuatugbuoma, Akegbe-Ugwu, at the Gariki Terminal, till this moment, Governor Peter Mbah has issued no public statement on the death of Mr Friday Nwobodo and has not visited the bereaved family.”

He pledged that if elected governor, his administration would deal with the welfare of Keke riders, transporters, and small enterprise house owners “as a priority, not as a political tool”, including that “hardworking citizens will no longer face excessive daily levies or intimidation”.