Posted by By Jide Osokoya on
Tricycle riders popularly called Keke NAPEP have protested to the headquarters of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Abuja to save them from some dubious executive members of Keke Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (KORAN).
Tricycle riders popularly called Keke NAPEP have protested to the headquarters of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Abuja to save them from some dubious executive members of Keke Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (KORAN).
The riders alleged that NAPEP allocated 225 tricycles (Keke NAPEP) to Lagos State, to be sold to members at the rate of N295,000 each, only for members to pay N555,000 to acquire a tricycle. This was said to have been perpetrated by the leaders through their intermediaries.
Most of the riders who spoke with P.M.News under condition of anonymity said they had already reported the case at the Area ‘G' Police Command, Ogba.
A spokesman of the riders, who identified himself as ‘Kunde', said NAPEP gave out the Keke (tricycle) at the rate of N295,000 to an NGO called Initiative for Peace, Empowerment and Tolerance (IPET), registered on 30 June, 2008.
'We were told to go there on 2 July, 2008 to purchase the tricycles which they sold for N330,000 each. But to our surprise, a particular female member of the KORAN board of trustees acquired 100 tricycles from the NGO and resold them to a broad street-based finance house for N380,000. The outfit gained N50,000 on each Keke,' he revealed.
The riders disclosed further that the finance house now sells to them at the rate of N555,000, which is N260,000 higher than the original rate it was given out by NAPEP.
They appealed to the National Co-ordinator of NAPEP, Mr. Magnus Kpakor, to investigate the allegation and stop the exploitation.
When P.M.News visited KORAN headquarters on 533, Agege Motor Road, Ladipo, Oshodi to get their comment on the allegations, the officers declined to speak, saying they were not in a position to speak with journalists.