FG’s 2,000 CNG Tricycles Promise: Riders Pledge Peaceful Protest if Demands are not met –
Oru Leonard
National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association, NATOMORAS, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fulfill his campaign promise by delivering 2000 CNG-powered tricycles to its member nationwide.
The union threatened to organize a nationwide protest if the administration continues to neglect them, adding that the All Progressives Congress, APC has used and dumped the members of the union.
Addressing a Press Conference in Abuja, the National President of NATOMORAS, Alhaji Usman Buba Gwoza, said the association is appealing to President Tinubu to ensure that the 2000 CNG tricycles are provided to members.
He said, “It is disheartening to state here that millions of Nigerian youths and poor families, who voted APC because of our campaign and grassroots mobilization, now find it difficult to trust and believe in our integrity as an association. We therefore feel used, we feel dumped, and we feel betrayed.
“Let us be clear, NATOMORAS is not begging. We are simply demanding that the federal government fulfills its own promise. We worked; we delivered. And now are being denied what we rightly deserve.”
Gwoza said that association had mobilized its members whom he claimed were about 18 million nationwide to work for the election of Tinubu and Shettima in the 2023 general election.
He asserted that his members were promised federal appointments, financial support and tricycles to help empower them, but however said, “Today almost two years after, not even one of the promises made to NATOMORAS has been fulfilled.
According to him, “I stand before you today with heavy heart. I speak not just for myself, but for over 18 million registered members of the National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association, NATOMORAS, men and women who own and ride tricycle and motorcycle across all the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT.”
Gwoza, who was flanked by placard-carrying members during the press conference said the association has made several efforts including letters to reach out to the President, the Vice President and other relevant officials to no avail
Some of placards carried protest messages such as: “18 million people await fulfillment of the 2000 CNG tricycles, federal government appointment promised us”; “We voted, we mobilized and we delivered, it’s time to fulfill your promise”.
On what the association plans to do if the government continues to ignore them, Gwoza said: “Our members are angry but we are peaceful people. We love Nigeria. We love this government. But if this silence continues, we will have no choice than to mobilize our members to peaceful protest nationwide”
Speaking on its relationship with APC, Gwoza said that the association mobilized thousands of its members in April, 2022, during the national campaign flag-off of the party.
“Our members travelled from every corner of this country to show support for Tinubu-Shettima presidential ticket. We showed our numbers; we showed our strength and we stood tall for the APC.” Gwoza said.
