Oyo State government on Wednesday disclosed that members of the Association of Commercial Motorcycle Riders of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) are owe the government N99 million as part of the payment for the tricycles given to them as part of the poverty alleviation programme in the state.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Barrister Lowo Obisesan said in Ibadan that some members of that association’s executive were allegedly involved in a scandal which led to their suspension.While the association claimed that they were owing government N99 million, the state commissioner said they owed N450 million.

 Obisesan said,"We gave out the tricycles in order to alleviate poverty. The

beneficiaries failed to pay up so we decided to collect them back. We pleaded

with them to pay up but they refused to yield. "Let them do the right thing and pay up. We can sort this thing out if they show seriousness. They owe the state government to the tune of N450m. It is no free cake as usual," he added. Meanwhile, the association has appealed to the state government to reverse its sanction against some of its members who breached the tricycle repayment plan put in place by the administration.

The General Secretary of ACOMORAN, in the state, Abimbola Oyediran, said,

"Oyo State government in April, 2012, gave out some Keke Napep tricycles at

the rate of N346, 000 through the ACOMORAN executive who in turn gave to

members at the rate of N420, 000.  "The members paid an initial deposit of N40, 000 with subsequent payments spread over period of eight months. The repayment schedule lapsed in November, 2012 but the beneficiaries are yet to complete the repayment. That is why the state government retrieved all the tricycles," he said.

  He said some members had already paid 80 per cent of the money as at

November 2012 when the agreement in the Memorandum of Understand between the

Association and the state government lapsed. He, however, stated, "Despite this, government still seized all the allocated 600 tricycles due to default in the agreement signed.

The state government in April, 2012, gave out some tricycles to ACOMORAN

Members in Oyo State at the rate of N346, 000 installments repayment plan but

The beneficiaries were said to have defaulted.