As part of efforts to mitigate the effects of subsidy removal on the transport sector, the Ogun State Government on Wednesday said it has concluded plans with the Federal Government to replace existing parks and garages in the state with modern terminals for easy movement of goods and services across the 20 local government areas.

The Commissioner for Transport, Engr. Gbenga Dairo, who stated this in an exclusive interview at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, said that the initiative was part of the FG’s plans to select the state within the six geopolitical zones for the construction of modern terminals in order to change the face of the transportation structure in the state.

Dairo stated that the modern terminals would feature state-of-the-art facilities, including a petrol and CNG station, warehouses, parking spaces, administrative offices, passenger amenities, security, and ICT features, among others, to meet the modern-day transportation system and generate employment opportunities, especially for operators in the existing parks and garages.

He mentioned Kuto and Panseke as part of the parks and garages that would be turned into modern terminals, stressing that the state government’s plan to move the existing parks and garages to a new site would attract investors and businesses and improve the transportation system for residents to enjoy.

The Commissioner said, “Our focus is to consolidate terminals in major cities, especially in Abeokuta, and we are working together with the federal government to build new multinational and multi-dimensional modern terminals in Abeokuta. I hope that all the various parks and garages that are congesting the centre of Abeokuta will be relocated to a new site for a better transportation system. Part of the parks and garages where the terminal will be situated is Kuto, Panseke, and others.”

NURTW Kicks

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Kuto Branch, Abeokuta, Com. Oluyinka Oluseye, called on the state government to demolish houses within the Kuto Parks and Garages to enlarge the place to accommodate the proposed modern terminals.

Oluseye appealed to the state government to also create a small portion from the extension for market women and the transport union to operate from the existing parks and garages besides the modern one, stressing that moving the parks and garages to a new site would affect the union’s transport business.

He said, “It is a welcome development for the government to create modern terminals, but trying to move the existing park and garage in Kuto to another site would be difficult and would affect our transport operations and the business of the market women.

“What I think the government should do is to break down structures to enlarge the Kuto Park and Garage for the construction of the modern terminals and also create a small place for us and the market women to operate our businesses,” he noted.

Also, a member of the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at Panseke Park and Garage, Abeokuta, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, appealed to the state government to create a small portion of land for the union to operate their transport business instead of relocating them to a new site.

The source said that although the union cannot oppose any government policy on the transportation system, it urged the government to consider the plight of stakeholders, including members of the union, shops, and small business owners at the parks and garages, during the relocation process.

He lamented that the union will lose a number of passengers who board inter-state buses at Panseke Park and Garage should the state government relocate the site to a new place, stressing that even small business owners would lose their customers and it would take time for them to attract new ones at the relocated site.

“When you look at Panseke Park and Garage, you will see that the space is not enough for the state government to use for the proposed modern terminal. Even the shop complex is not big enough, but if the government wants to do something, we cannot stop it.

“We can only beg them, as a transport union, to give us a small space to operate because relocating the park and garage will be stressful and cause a setback to our transport business. Not only members of the union will be affected, even those who have shops at the shopping complex and those who display their wares around the park and garage.”