Thursday, September 24, 2026 - Operators of intra-city minibuses, popularly known as Korope, under the aegis of the Association of Korope Drivers, on Wednesday protested in Osogbo, Osun State, over the rising cost of fuel and alleged mismanagement of proceeds from daily tickets.
According to Punch, the protest, which began early in the
morning and ended around 2pm, disrupted transport services along some routes in
the state capital, forcing some commuters to trek to their destinations.
The drivers said the rising cost of petrol, coupled with
increased prices of spare parts and food items, had made their operations
increasingly unprofitable.
The protesters converged on the popular Ayetoro Junction,
where they parked their buses and prevented colleagues who declined to join the
action from operating during the protest.
A representative of the protesters, Abdulwasiu Osuolale,
said the drivers were also unhappy with what they described as the
mismanagement of proceeds from daily tickets collected by their union leaders.
Osuolale said the drivers had resolved to increase fares on
various routes within the state capital, urging the government to investigate
how proceeds from the tickets were being utilised.
He said, “The fuel price has brought a lot of hardship. The
leadership of the transport unions is also not treating drivers well. They
don’t care about what we are going through. All they care about is the daily
ticket money they collect from us.
“The cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance is too high, and
that is why we came out today for this peaceful protest.
“We started the protest at 7:00 am to inform Osogbo
residents that transport fare has increased. A drop is now N300. Also, the
government should investigate how proceeds from the ticket sales are being
utilised. Some private individuals, rather than remitting it to government
coffers, are keeping the proceeds.”
According to the new fare structure released by the
Association of Korope Drivers and obtained during the protest, passengers on
the shortest routes within the state capital will now pay a flat fare of N300.
Reacting to the development, the Executive Director of the
Socio-Economic and Civic Rights Advocacy, a civil society organisation based in
the state, Emmanuel Olowu, commended the drivers for ensuring that the protest
did not disrupt public peace.
Olowu said, “What the transporters did today is the best
form of protest in a democracy. In a democracy, everybody has the right to
express their grievance when aggrieved. Looking at their position, they are
only planning to increase transport fares as a result of the high cost of
petrol.
“The other part is about their union leaders, who they said
do not care about them. This shows that the current system where individuals
who are not under government control collect ticket money cannot continue.”
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