Truck drivers and owners under the Ikorodu-Ketu Truck Owners and Drivers Association in Lagos staged a protest on Monday at their base in Ikorodu to express discontent over the recent sharp hike in sharp sand prices by the Dredgers Association.

The price of a 30-ton load of sand reportedly surged from ₦126,000 to ₦178,500 — a ₦52,500 increase — prompting the protest. The association’s chairman, Mr. Sikiru Aderoju, described the rise as unsustainable, noting that this was the third increase in two months, which has drastically reduced profit margins and customer patronage.

“We are protesting the arbitrary price increase by the Dredgers Association,” Aderoju said. “We had just agreed to a new rate of ₦126,000, only to see it jump again to ₦178,000. Customers can’t keep up and are no longer coming to us.”

Truck owner Mr. Oluwaseun Adelaja accused the dredgers of trying to edge out independent operators. He traced the sharp sand price climb from ₦85,000 in July 2024 to ₦110,000 in November, then ₦126,000 in January 2025, before the latest increase this April.

“We adjusted to the previous hikes because of rising diesel, spare parts, and maintenance costs,” Adelaja said. “But this sudden jump is driving our customers away. It feels like a strategy to monopolize the market with their own trucks.”

Truck driver Mr. Sodiq Owolabi added that he was assaulted during a past demonstration. He claimed thugs and private security tied to the dredgers beat him and held him in a barracks facility.

The protesters called on the Lagos State Government to intervene and compel the Dredgers Association to adopt a fairer pricing model to ensure market competition and public affordability.

Responding to the outcry, Mr. Tunde Adigun, Chairman of the Dredgers Association in Ikorodu, cited broader economic challenges as the reason behind the price adjustments. He explained that operational costs have soared, with the price of trucks rising from ₦39 million to ₦100 million and dredging operations extending up to four kilometres offshore, significantly driving up expenses.

“We don’t take these decisions unilaterally,” Adigun said. “We meet with the truck associations, discuss our challenges, and then agree on the new prices. In fact, five dredging sites have already shut down due to unprofitability, and some of our foreign partners have withdrawn.”

He stressed that the Dredgers Association remains open to dialogue but that the economic reality cannot be ignored.