The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has called on transport unions in the state to put the interests of residents first and desist from arbitrary increases in transport fares, which he said were making life uncomfortable for the people.
Abiodun stated that his administration had constructed or reconstructed more than 1,700 kilometres of roads, built an airport and implemented a multimodal transport master plan to create an enabling environment for the transport sector to thrive.
He said having made the investments, the government expected operators to put the interests of citizens first.
Abiodun made the call on Thursday at Ake, Abeokuta, where nine transport unions in the state, under the aegis of the Transport Unions Alliance for Yayi, endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, ahead of the 2027 election.
The unions include the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Ogun State Park Management Services Limited and Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria.
Others are Articulated Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, Riders and Owners of Motorcycle Organisation, Tricycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, Three Wheelers Operators and Riders Association, and Riders and Owners of Tricycle Organisation.
Speaking at the event, the governor, who hailed the transport unions for their support for his administration and contributions to the national economy, urged them to ensure that transport fares charged to residents were affordable and did not place unnecessary burdens on the people.
He said, “Now, I am asking you as your governor, having done all this for you, we not only expect you to make money from it, but also to use your sector for the benefit of our citizens. Do not allow them to suffer. Do not increase transport prices arbitrarily,” Abiodun said.
“We have reconstructed or constructed over 1,700 kilometres of roads across the length and breadth of this state. By doing so, we have created an enabling environment for your sector to not only thrive but to succeed.
“We are giving you the opportunity to generate revenue on behalf of government and also make something for yourself. We have even gone further. We have built the best airport in the history of this country. We have executed what we call our multimodal transport master plan. All for your benefit.”
He further described the endorsement as “truly unprecedented and historic”, saying the unity displayed by the unions was significant for the state.
“Today, we are standing here hand in hand in unity. We are all here. All the transport unions collectively and individually are here,” Abiodun said.
The governor said the development demonstrated what he described as stability and continuity in Ogun.
“This is something unprecedented in the 50-year history of this beloved state. Stability. This speaks to continuity. This speaks to socio-economic development. This speaks to investor confidence because investors are looking at Ogun State and they are saying nothing will change,” the governor disclosed.
Chairman of the planning committee and State Secretary of RTEAN, Aare Tiwalade Akingbade, said the endorsement marked the first time the transport unions were collectively coming out to back a governorship candidate.
“This is historical because this is the first time we are coming out to endorse a governorship candidate,” Akingbade said.
Addressing Adeola, he said the unions were supporting him because of what they described as his antecedents and capacity, rather than ethnic or sectional considerations.
“The incoming governor, sir, we are doing this not because we are only a son of a certain part of Ogun State, not because you come from a certain section that has been marginalised for the past 50 years,” he said.
“We are doing this because you are capable and we have seen antecedents.”
Akingbade said the unions were convinced Adeola could sustain the development of the state, stressing that the theme of the gathering — “Consolidation of Proven Capacity and Competence” — reflected their assessment of the candidate.
“We know you are competent. We know you are capable. We know you can do it,” he said.
He added that all nine union chairmen had signed the endorsement card presented to Adeola.
“On behalf of all the transport unions in the state, we are endorsing you today. And all nine transport union chairmen in the state have appended their signatures,” Akingbade said.
Responding, Adeola promised to sustain the development trajectory of the state if elected, saying Ogun residents should expect further growth.
“I can tell you that the people of Ogun State are about to witness the biggest development in the history of this state,” he said.
Adeola said he would work to consolidate the achievements of the current administration and take the state further.
“We will continue to grow higher and higher and higher and higher. We can never relinquish this state to mediocre, to power grabbers, to people who only want to satisfy their personal gain. Ogun State deserves better,” he said.
He thanked the transport unions for their endorsement, saying their support was an indication of their desire for continuity.
Also speaking, the National President of ACOMORAN, Alhaji Shamsudeen Apelogun, said the unions’ decision to endorse a candidate demonstrated their political awareness and importance to the state’s economy.
Apelogun said transport operators were major stakeholders in Ogun and had both the organisation and numerical strength to influence political choices.
He stressed that the unions were “powerful and organised groups” that could use their votes to support candidates they believed deserved their backing.
He also called for greater attention to roads and transportation, noting that an efficient transport system would strengthen economic activity across the state.
Apelogun cautioned against allowing transport unions to become instruments of political division, urging members to assess the records and antecedents of candidates seeking public office before deciding who to support.