Truck Owners Protest Increase In Prices Of Sand
By Felix Kuyinu
Truck owners and drivers in Lagos have staged a protest over the lingering increase in price of sharp sand.
During the remostration on Monday, the Truck Owners and Drivers Association, Ikorodu-Ketu Chapter, blamed the dredgers association over the inflation which according to them is making their business non-profitable.
The agitators mentioned that at the association’s base in Ikorodu, the price for 30 tons of sharp sand price has risen from N126,000 to N178,500. They alleged that the incident is a deliberate attempt to push independent truck drivers out of the market.
Chairman of the association, Sikiru Aderoju, said, “We are protesting the Dredgers Association’s indiscriminate increase in the price of sharp sand.
“Just two months ago, we agreed to a new price of N126,000 after an earlier increment. Now, they have added N52,000, bringing the price to N178,000. Our customers can no longer afford it, and they’ve stopped patronizing us,
“As of July 2024, 30 tons of sharp sand cost N85,000. It rose to N110,000 in November and then N126,000 in January 2025. We accepted those increases, citing the rising costs of diesel, maintenance, and spare parts. But last week, it jumped again to N178,500, effective from April 14. Customers can’t cope.
“We believe the dredgers are trying to dominate the market with their own trucks. Their pricing and rotation policies are affecting our access to customers.”
An agitator, Sodiq Owolabi, alledged that he was assaulted during a previous protest. He said, “I was trying to protect my boss when some thugs and security personnel working with the dredgers attacked me.
“They held me down, took me to their barracks, and beat me up.”
“We are calling on the Lagos State Government to intervene and compel the Dredgers Association to review the pricing in the interest of economic fairness and public affordability.
In response, the Chairman of the Dredgers Association in Ikorodu, Tunde Adigun, who claimed to also own trucks said that the price increase was as a direct result of worsening economic conditions.
“The truck drivers are our customers,” said Adigun.
” I also own trucks. I bought my last one for ₦39 million; now, it costs ₦100 million. The cost of operations keeps rising. We used to pump sand from 100–200 meters offshore; now we go as far as four kilometres. That significantly increases expenses.
“Each increment was preceded by meetings with tipper associations where agreements were reached. Whenever we adjust prices, we meet with their executives and explain our challenges. We don’t just impose new prices. Five dredging sites have shut down because operations are no longer profitable. Even some of our Chinese partners have pulled out.”
When quized on the alleged assault on the agitators, he said, “The security officers were deployed to maintain order. The clash was not with truck drivers but with community members who insisted that tippers be allowed to operate. The security personnel intervened to restore peace,” he stated.
On accusations of undermining tipper drivers by operating his own trucks, Adigun said: “I bought trucks after they stopped carrying sand from my site. I’m trying to sustain my business. Just as some truck drivers own dredging operations, I’m free to do the same.”