MADUAKO IGBOKWE l Thursday, December 10, 2020
ONITSHA, Anambra, Nigeria – The Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON) has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Muhammed Idris over their eviction from the Sabon Gari Luxury Bus Park , Kano by the Kano State Government.
In a statement signed by the ALBON Chairman,National Taskforce, Chief Joseph Ejiofor (God’s Time Motors Ltd), Alhaji Haruna Babanyara, Chairman, Sokoto Central Motorpark and Malam Yosuf Mohammed, Jabutu Luxury Park, Yola, the luxury bus owners described their eviction as an “unjust action and national economic sabotage against national unity and security”.
The group lamented that members of their enterprising association were thrown out of Sabon Gari luxury bus park, Kano where they have operated for over forty years noting that their expulsion was done without any warning, notification, negotiation, consultation or consent of the association.
They said such action has almost collapsed their businesses and thrown thousands of their staff and ancillary workers into unemployment more so at this COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant world economic recession.
According to group, presently in Kano state, luxury buses are forced to operate from an isolated and undeveloped space of land at Kano-Maiduguri –By-Pass which is about 60 kilometers from Kano city with grave security threats to staff, passengers, goods and vehicles alike.
ALBON said the state government had imposed stringent conditions on them in their present make-shift park including illegal arrests and unlawful detention of managers and staffs of luxury bus companies.
In the alternative, the group requested for adequate compensation for their investments on their luxury bus park Kano and loss of business as provided for in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while adequate security and facilities should be made for them in the new park for exclusive use of their members.They rejected lumping together of luxury buses with trucks, trailers, tippers and other articulated vehicles as presently obtained in the said Kano-Maiduguri Road By-Pass.
“At a make-shift park at Kano-Maiduguri By-pass where our luxury buses were forced to relocate, the 3rd party/contractor has added insult to our injury by imposing an astronomical N10 million tax per company per annum and N600 per passenger who boarded our bus. Now, if every 36 states of the Federation and Abuja would equally impose such vexatious taxation in their respective states, it would be the final death sentence to luxury bus transportation business as we know it in Nigeria today” they cried.
