Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia on Tuesday increased tricycles’ operating hours to 9 p.m. daily in Aba and Umuahia.
Ikpeazu announced this at solidarity rally organised in his honour by Abia State Amalgamated Tricycle Operators Association (ASATOA) at Community Primary School II, Abayi Umuocham in Aba.
He said the earlier announcement which limited the business hours of the tricycle operators in the cities of Abia to 7 p.m. was to checkmate the increase in crimes associated with tricycles.
The governor told them that they were now permitted to operate until 9 p.m.
Ikpeazu, however, urged the tricycle operators to be alert and fish out the bad eggs among them in order not to fall victim of the deeds of such evil minded persons again.
He said he would ensure that the multiple taxes they were being levied by individuals, various transport unions and community representatives were reduced to the barest minimum.
Ikpeazu said his administration had reconstructed many roads in Aba and installed street lights in the city, adding that he was committed to rehabilitating the Port Harcourt and other roads in Aba.
Chairman of ASATOA, Mr Eugene Job, assured the governor of the support of the union in view of the many good things he had done.
Job condemned the attempts by a “cabal’’ in the state to wrest power from Ikeazu.
He said the union would resist any attempt to remove the governor from office illegally and urged him not to be dismayed because his victory is assured.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalls that Ikpeazu’s government stopped the operators from exceeding 7p.m. in their daily operations in Aug. 2015.
The government had said the move was aimed at tightening security loopholes and checkmating kidnapping in Aba. (NAN)
