By Ikenna Orioha
Owerri, the Imo State capital, recorded low commercial activities on Tuesday and Wednesday following barricades on Onitsha and Portharcourt Roads by cargo truck drivers who protested an alleged mistreatment and extortion by the Special Adviser to the Governor of the state on Illegal Parks, Hon. Pastor Frank Onwumere and his team.
Operating under the auspices of Trailer Drivers Association, the group lamented that some of their members’ vehicles were impounded by Onwumere and his boys since four months for no justifiable reason.
Speaking to journalists during the protest, one of the leaders of Trailer Drivers Association, Chukwukere Elijah (Mopol Logistics) who operates from Oneh Seaport, Rivers State, explained that they blocked Onitsha and Portharcourt Roads within Owerri Municipal to draw the attention of government to address mistreatment and open extortion allegedly meted out on them by Frank Onwumere who they accused of tarnishing the image of the Governor who they said meant well for the people of Imo State.
“Truck drivers are very depressed as Hon. Frank Onwumere and his boys do not allow us to operate freely on the road in Imo State, day and night. Regrettably, the mistreatment that badly affected us was the seizure, impounding of our members’ vehicles by Onwumere and his team for four months, including the demand of #300,000 with clearance paper of road worthiness of our vehicles from us to enable bailout.
“Onwumere heartlessly told us that we must pay #300,000 before our vehicles are released – that truck drivers in Rivers and Lagos States pay #250,000 and #350,000 respectively.
“To restore sanity, law and orderliness on the road, we call on the Governor of Imo State to immediately sack Pastor Frank Onwumere and bring in someone with human face to do the work to avoid tarnishing his image. We demand also quick intervention on the badly damaged Portharcourt Express Way and other deplorable roads in Imo State to ease traffic”.
Addressing the aggrieved trailer drivers during an on-the-spot assessment, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Barr. Nnamdi Anyaehie, authorized the immediate release of all impounded vehicles, which were subsequently returned to their owners.
The Chief of Staff said government would never authorize any appointee to victimize any citizen, saying some of the spoilt trailers parts would be fixed, assuring that investigation into the alleged misconduct of Frank Onwumere would start soon.
Among government functionaries who accompanied the Chief of Staff to the scene were Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma, Commissioner of Transport, Dr. Chika Abazu, Deputy Chief of Staff, Barr. Emeka Agbor.
Reacting, Pastor Frank Onwumere said his “actions and the actions of my team are fully in line with the directives given to me by Governor Hope Uzodimma. My responsibility as the Special Adviser on Illegal Parks is to ensure that our roads are free from illegal obstructions by addressing issues that affect the smooth flow of traffic and safety of road users. I would rather die than see any insult directed at my Governor, Hope Uzodimma”.
