ASTOPU Celebrates Completion of Port Harcourt Aba with Free Fuel Palliative to Keke Operators

In celebration of the completion of Port Harcourt road Aba, the leadership of the Abia State Tricycles Operators Union (ASTOPU) has distributed free fuel palliative to commercial Keke Operators in some parts of the commercial nerve center of Abia State.

Flagging off the exercise, Abia State Commissioner for Transport, Dr. Chimezie Ukaegbu highlighted the importance of commercial transport operators, describing them as partners in progress.

Ukaegbu noted that without a seamless transport system, the state would be under developed.

He urged them to continue to obey the traffic rules and regulations guiding transportation and to pay their taxes and levies regularly to enable the state serve them better.

The Commissioner assured of government’s commitment to protecting the operators and ensure their complaints are taken care of, adding that no one would exploit them.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Transportation, Dr. Obioma Nwaogbe described transport as the gateway to  development and called on trycyclists to work together with the Governor for the development of Abia state

He said the government is supporting the free distribution of fuel because the union is a union that oversees all the activities of tricycle operation in the state.

Earlier the Chairman, Abia State Tricycles Operators Union (ASTOPU), Mr. Victor Azubuike said they were moved to share the fuel in celebration of what Governor Alex Otti has been doing for the trycyclists and Abians at large.

Azubuike added that the roads fixed by the Governor has made their businesses easy.

“Before now, we always go to mechanic for one thing or the other because of bad network. But as I’m telling you today, we move everywhere freely, no potholes, nothing. Our machines are okay.

“We only go to mechanic only to change oil and all these minor things, unlike before. So, because of that, and most importantly, the impact it has laid His Excellency concerning water control. Water control is a good thing.

“We are in line with what His Excellency is doing. We want to move with the footsteps of His Excellency. We can see that His Excellency has done everywhere.

“We are happy. In fact, our hearts are full of joy because all the things His Excellency has done, the ones he has done here in Aba, we, the transporters, are the first beneficiaries of it.

Responding, some of the trycycle operators and beneficiaries of the free PMS including, Mr. Kingsley Nwachukwu and Mr. Akachi Orji expressed deep appreciation to the leadership of the union and Abia State government for relieving them of the challenge of PMS as they seek to make ends meet.

The free fuel was distributed at selected filling stations in Aba, including Tonimas filling Station, Aba-Owerri road, New filling station, Enugu Port Harcourt Expressway, Mainland filling station at MCC, Coneoil at Asa Road by among others.