By Mike Adeyemi
Kwara based transport companies have recounted their experiences and how they were able to survive the hardship during the lockdown.
After over two months of inter-state travel ban, the government finally eased the situation last week when it lifted the lockdown to allow free interstate movement.
According to the management of Adby Line, the interstates vehicular restrictions puts in place by the Federal Government has led to the collapse of their business activities.
The company’s manager, Kayode Ajiboye , stated this during a chart with our reporter, yesterday, in his office.
According to him’ we just have to complying with the lockdown order, not as if we are pleased with it.
“The interstate restriction has brought our business activities back to zero as you know that we transporters live on daily income. The three months stay at home order hasn’t been palatable at all.
“Though we appreciate the fact that the government has lifted the ban, but the experience of it won’t disappear as expected. The business is gradually reviving, and it will take some time for its total recovery,” Ajiboye said. He however said Adby line has puts in place all the precautionary measure to curb the spreads of Covid-19 among the passengers that board their vehicular.
On his part, the Manager of Success Express, Tunde Saludeen described the interstates lockdown owing to the scourge of Covid-19 in the country as a bitter peal.
Speaking with National Pilot in his office on Saturday, he said “The interstates lockdown was a bitter experience. It is not palatable at all. To meet up with daily living was extremely hard for us. Even the Kwara State Government promised to give us a cushion during the period to no avail.
“That three months can best be described as living in hell. Often time it is our wives that sustained us throughout the period. But since the lifting of the lockdown that allows us to move to other states, I think we are gradually coming up” adding that “We have since put in place sanitary apparatus in the parks to curtail the spread of the scourge and we subjected all our passengers to the routing protocols”.
On his party, Young Legacy motors said that the company was able to survived the three months interstate lockdown as a result providence of God.
According to its Park Manager, Amuda Kazeem: “The experience during the lockdown was so bad that how we survived it cannot be easily explained. I think it is through the Providence of God we were able to sail through the period.
“Business activities collapsed to the extent that we had to downsize staff. But with the gradual ease of the lockdown, things are beginning to take a new shape,” he said.
Corroborating his colleagues, Al-Lateef motors, Alhaji Abdulfatai Issa said “What happened is global and all motorists had to obey the order. Business activities were halted and sustaining the period was by the grace of God. To make ends meet was hell, but we thank God we sustained it.
“Here at Al-Lateef, we have put in place a washing basin, hand sanitizers and a temperature gauge. It is compulsory for all our passengers and whoever is found wanting in the terms of high temperature are forbidden to travel through our cab”, he stated.
