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Tricycle and Motorcycle Riders Threaten Nationwide Protest Over FG’s Broken CNG Tricycle Promise

The National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association (NATOMORAS) has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government, threatening a nationwide peaceful protest if the promised 2,000 CNG tricycles are not delivered. The association, which boasts over 18 million registered members, said the delay in fulfilling the campaign promises made by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima has caused deep frustration and growing discontent among its members.

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja, Usman Gwoza, the National President of NATOMORAS, expressed his disappointment over what he described as the government’s silence despite the overwhelming support his association gave to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections. According to him, NATOMORAS was the only transport association that publicly backed the Tinubu/Shettima ticket — offering nationwide grassroots support without demanding payment.

“In April 2022, our members travelled from all corners of Nigeria to show their support for the APC during the campaign flag-off in Plateau State,” Gwoza recalled. “We volunteered as polling agents and mobilisers. We gave everything, not because we were paid, but because we believed in the vision.”

He further detailed how NATOMORAS created the Directorate of Community Transport (Keke and Okada) in alignment with the campaign and that he was appointed National Director. However, since then, the government has failed to support or fund the initiative.

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In one particularly emotional account, Gwoza recounted how thousands of NATOMORAS members were mobilised to welcome the president at the airport. He said, “I ordered my State Chairman in Plateau to mobilise 3,000 motorcycles and 2,000 tricycles. That day, many were injured, several lost their property, and some died, all while celebrating the president’s arrival. And yet, not a single acknowledgement or support has followed since then.”

Gwoza also pointed to an October 1, 2024, announcement by a government minister, which claimed that 2,000 CNG tricycles had been handed over to NATOMORAS. “We’ve not seen even a tyre,” he lamented. “No CNG tricycle, nothing.”

Adding to the frustration, Gwoza said he has written to the President and Vice President over ten times, seeking a meeting or follow-up on their promises. “There has been no response — not even one,” he said, describing the silence as a betrayal of trust.

He listed several unfulfilled promises made to the association, including:

  • Federal appointments for members
  • Financial support for the NATOMORAS directorate
  • Empowerment through CNG tricycles
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Despite attending several stakeholder engagement meetings — organised by the Presidential Initiative on CNG (PiCNG) and signed by CEO Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi — the association claims they were left to fund their participation without any tangible outcomes.

“It is disheartening,” Gwoza said. “Millions of poor families who believed in us now feel cheated. We feel used. We feel dumped. And we feel betrayed.”

While emphasizing that the planned protest would be peaceful, he noted that the association’s patience is running out. “We love Nigeria. We love this government. But if this silence continues, we will have no choice but to act — not with violence, but in pain.”

In a final plea, Gwoza addressed the country’s leaders directly:
“President Tinubu, fulfil your promise to us. Vice President Shettima, you made a vow. Keep it.”

“We are not troublemakers. We are fathers, mothers, and breadwinners. All we ask is simple: honour your word. We have waited long enough — now is the time for action.”

As public pressure builds, the government may soon have to address the growing discontent among Nigeria’s transport workers — a group that could have significant influence ahead of future elections.

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