By Ovat Abeng
Tricycle operators under the umbrella of Anambra Tricycle Riders Association ANTRA, has lamented incessant humiliation of members by hoodlums across the state.
They alleged that the hoodlums are hiding under the umbrella of working as Government revenue agents to carry out the illegal act.
They also protested the profiling of their members as touts and hoodlums insisting that the body is poised to stamp touting out of the state.
The lamentations were made known during the association’s inaugural meeting, held in Awka, on Wednesday.
According to the State Chairman of ANTRA, Comrade Chigozie Okafor, who spoke further on the development, however, noted that the approval of the Association by the government has liberated the Keke riders from the shackles of hoodlums.
He said, “For many years the Keke riders in Anambra State are like sheep without a shepherd. Now the governor has gathered the scattered flocks together under the shepherding of Comerade Chigozie Okafor.”
“Our vision goes beyond seeing that the old order of attaching Agboro or the fraudsters to Keke riders under the guise giving the Keke riders bad name is changed.”
Okafor further expressed the gratitude of members to the Speaker Anambra state House of Assembly Rt Hon Somtochukwu Udeze and the members of the Assembly for passing a resolution in favour of Anambra state Tricycle Riders Association and tagged it a working document and counter endorsed by Gov Charles Soludo.
The Association explained that “The vision and mission of the Association is to guard and protect the riders and resuscitate them in case of any mishap like accident, snatching and f Keke , I’ll health as well as to help the government see that the weekly and monthly enrollment fee is actualized properly.”
“We are poised to ensure that the digital database of all Keke riders in the state is initiated for easy identification at the time of needs and also make sure that all Keke riders will have uniform Anambra colour in pursuance to the state government policy on Keke branding,” he said.