Tensions flared in the Ikorodu area of Lagos on Monday as members of the Ikorodu-Ketu Truck Owners and Drivers Association staged a protest against the rising cost of sharp sand, which has surged from ₦126,000 to ₦180,000 for 30 tons—a 42.86% increase in just two months.
Carrying placards that read “No more price increment,” the protesters gathered at their operational base, decrying what they described as arbitrary and unsustainable hikes by the Dredgers Association. Addressing journalists, the Chairman of the association, Sikiru Aderoju, lamented the impact on their business:
“Two months ago, the price was raised from ₦110,000 to ₦126,000, and we accepted it. Now, it has jumped to ₦178,000. Our customers can’t afford this, and we’re losing business rapidly.” Oluwaseun Adelaja, another truck owner, accused the dredgers of trying to edge truck drivers out of the industry altogether: “They claim it’s due to diesel prices and spare part costs, but we see this as a strategy to take over our business since they also own trucks.”
Adelaja recalled that the price of 30 tons of sharp sand was ₦85,000 as of July 2024, before increasing to ₦110,000 in November, then ₦126,000 in January 2025. The association had gone on a two-week warning strike earlier this year, but received little support from customers. Driver Sodiq Owolabi alleged that he was physically attacked during a previous protest held at Ebute Roundabout in Ikorodu: “Thugs and security operatives—allegedly acting on the dredgers’ orders—beat me up. I sustained injuries on my face and back.”
The protesting drivers are demanding an immediate reversal of the price hike and called on the Lagos State Government to intervene to avoid further unrest and economic hardship for end users.
