LASU Students clash with NURTW over fee

“Problem started when the touts, who collect N200 from the yellow buses, mandated the students’ buses to be paying the same amount, which they said was unfair to them.

Some students of Lagos State University, clashed with National Union of Road Transport Workers on Monday over fee to be paid by buses registered with the university’s Students Union Government, Punch reports.

The students were enraged after 8 buses registered with the union were vandalised by NURTW for refusing to pay a N200 fee.

The clash began at about 10am. Students reportedly barricaded both lanes of the LASU-Isheri Road.

Policemen and some senior officers of the NURTW were able to prevent the clash from escalating but motorist in the area had to endure traffic jam while the fight was going on.

One witness said, He said, “There are two kinds of vehicles plying the Iyana Iba Road. We have the normal yellow commercial buses, and those registered with the LASU SUG, and are painted white.

“Once you are registered with the students, you are mandated to be paying a monthly due of N2, 000 and your vehicle is re-painted for identification.

“Problem started when the touts, who collect N200 from the yellow buses, mandated the students’ buses to be paying the same amount, which they said was unfair to them. They said their buses were supposed to be paying N100 at most.”

A student of LASU, who asked not to be named, said the road was blocked so that some vehicles seized by the NURTW could be recovered.

He said, “The NURTW attacked the students union buses this morning and vandalised their windscreens. It was the students that trooped out to avenge the damage. The officials of the SUG came out later to meet the NURTW and the police to resolve the issues.”

Chairman of the NURTW, Lagos State, Tajudeen Agbede made a few things clear regarding the issue, saying, “"what happened was that the students have their buses, which they use on the campus. But suddenly, they decided to convert some of the commercial buses to student’s buses by re-painting them. And these vehicles still ply the normal routes, which is wrong.

“But immediately I got to know about the case, I asked our officials to go there and mediate. The matter is going to be resolved,” Agbede added.