Riders threaten protest over FG’s failed CNG tricycles promise

The National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association has called on President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to fulfil their campaign promise of 2,000 CNG tricycles, warning that failure to do so may trigger a nationwide peaceful protest by its members.
At a press conference in Abuja, the National President of NATOMORAS, Usman Gwoza, expressed deep disappointment and frustration over what he described as the government’s continued neglect of their association despite their significant support for the All Progressives Congress during the 2023 elections.
I speak not just for myself but for over 18 million registered members of the National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association, men and women who own and ride tricycles and motorcycles across all the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT,” Gwoza stated.

He added, “Our members are angry. But we are peaceful people. We love Nigeria. We love this government. But if this silence continues, we will have no choice but to mobilise our members to peacefully protest nationwide. Not in violence, but in pain.”

Recounting their active involvement in the APC campaign, Gwoza said, “In April 2022, during the APC National Campaign Flag-off in Plateau State, NATOMORAS came out in full force. Our members travelled from every corner of this country to show support for the Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket. We showed our numbers, we showed our strength, and we stood tall for the All Progressive Congress.”

He added that their efforts led to the creation of the Directorate of Community Transport (Keke and Okada), with himself appointed as National Director.

NATOMORAS, he said, was the only association of tricycle and motorcycle riders that publicly declared full support for the Tinubu/Shettima campaign.

He continued, “And we did this without collecting a single kobo. Our members also worked as polling agents, mobilisers, and volunteers from polling units to wards, to LGAs, and states. These we did because we believed in the vision. We gave everything to make sure APC, His Excellency, President Tinubu.”

/Gwoza described a tragic episode where thousands of NATOMORAS members were mobilised to welcome the president at the airport: “They asked me to mobilise my people to the airport, which I ordered my State Chairman in Plateau State to order 3,000 motorcycles and 2,000 tricycles, which we did. On that very day, thousands of my members were injured, thousands lost their property, and some of my members died because of the jubilation from the airport to the party secretariat.”

Despite the sacrifices and public commitments made, Gwoza lamented that the association has been abandoned: “But since that day up to date, not anyone from the government, including President Tinubu, ordered to create a directorate, personally, for the NATOMORAS.”
He pointed out a specific unfulfilled promise: “On October 1, 2024, the Honourable Minister declared that 2,000 CNG tricycles had been handed over to NATOMORAS. But up till now, we have not seen even a tyre, let alone CNG.”

He said the frustration has grown due to a lack of government engagement: Surprisingly, I have written letters to see Mr President more than 10 times. There has been no response, not even one. I have written to the vice president more than 10 times. There has been no response, not even one.”

Gwoza questioned the silence despite the association’s size and significance:

“This organisation that controls over 18 million registered members – how can the president of the country deny us? How? There is no way,” he said.

He listed key promises made to NATOMORAS that remain unfulfilled: “We were promised federal appointments. We were promised financing and support for our directorate. Most importantly, we were promised tricycle empowerment to our members.”

Referring to multiple government meetings and engagements they sponsored themselves for, he said, “In May 2024, the Presidential Initiative on CNG invited us to stakeholder engagement meetings in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ekiti, and Kaduna states. We sponsored ourselves, mobilised our members massively, and attended those meetings in full. All invitation letters were personally signed by the CEO of PiCNG, Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi.”

The NATOMORAS leader declared that the association feels abandoned: “It is disheartening to state here that millions of Nigerian youths and poor families who voted APC because of our campaign and grassroots mobilisation now find it difficult to trust and believe in our integrity as an association. We therefore feel used.

“We feel dumped, and we feel betrayed. Let us be clear: NATOMORAS is not begging. We are simply demanding that the Federal Government fulfill its own promise. We worked. We delivered. And now we are being denied what we rightly deserve.”

He issued a direct appeal to Nigeria’s leaders: “We are calling on President Tinubu to fulfil your promise to us.’ Vice President Shettima, ‘You stood before us and made a vow. Keep it.’”

He concluded by saying, “We are not troublemakers. We are workers. We are fathers, mothers, breadwinners, and hustlers. We have wholeheartedly supported this government. And all we ask is simple: fulfil your campaign promise. We have waited long enough. Now is the time for action.”