Mechanics task Okowa on facilities’ ownership crisis

THE Nigerian Automobile Technician Association (NATA) has called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to wade into the lingering issue of ownership of mechanic villages between it and local councils in some major towns of Delta State.

Both bodies currently lay claim to the mechanic villages located in Asaba, Sapele, Oleh, Ugehelli and Warri.

NATA had recently protested against the taking over of the villages by the local council authorities, saying the move ran foul of the principle establishing the facilities in 1984.

Speaking with reporters in Asaba, the State Chairman of
NATA, Ifeanyi Abanum recalled that under the then military administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, all mechanics were ordered to relocate to the villages with hectares allotted for their establishment. He urged the state government to intervene in the issue, saying a number of his members had been molested and threatened with eviction by local council authorities.

“It is actually a shock to us that despite the series of abuse of the fundamental human rights of our members, the directorate of transport in the state has still not protected us. The transport commissioner has failed to realise that we are human beings protected by the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria. This mechanic village has been in existence since 1984,” he bemoaned.