The Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Kwara State branch, Abdulrahman Onikijipa, has said commercial bus drivers are not illiterates but experts in their own field.
Onikijipa, who stated this in Ilorin on Thursday while speaking to journalists, said transport workers should be respected by the public and not be seen as nonentities because there are university graduates among them.
“Most people tag transporters as illiterates and, therefore, disrespect them in public. Transport workers are experts in the field of transport management They are not illiterates as portrayed by the public.
”Members of the Public should appreciate them and stop disrespecting them, thinking they are just ordinary drivers.
”We have elites in the transport unions; we have more than enough graduates excelling in RTEAN and other transport unions,” Onikijipa said.
Onikijipa, who is also the chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Kwara State, said RTEAN members were being sensitised consistently on safety tips and road ethics.
He cautioned members of the public and road users to stop struggling to outdo one another while driving on the road, advising them to be safety conscious every time they are behind the wheel.
