The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders(CACOL) has described the ban of tricycles, popularly call Keke Napep in Lagos state as an anti-poor policies and pro-capitalist tendencies to the plights of Lagosians.

This is contained in a statement released by the Coalition’s Media Relations Officer, Abimbola Adegoke, after the state Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa’s press briefing on Friday announcing the ban of tricycles on the major roads in the State.

According to Opeifa during the press conference, the state government has banned the tricycles popularly called Keke Napep from plying major roads in the state, because their operations constitute nuisance on the state roads.

Opeifa listed the roads and areas where tricycles operation has been outlawed such as, the entire Victoria Island, Government Residential Area (GRA), Ikeja and Ikoyi.

Likewise, Awolowo Way, Alausa and the entire major roads in Surulere local government area.

In his reaction, the Executive Chairman of the Coalition, Debo Adeniran, described the ban as anti-poor policies and I-don’t-care attitude toward the plights of the Lagosians.

According to Adeniran, “It is very unfortunate that the Lagos State government is totally detached from its citizens. This government is proving everyday that it does not care about the plight of the mass of the commoners. Why ban tricycles from the major roads while nothing is put in place to ameliorate the effect of the earlier ban on motorcycles?

The okada ban is still having adverse effect on many Lagosians. The dust of that ban has scarcely settled down, and the masses are now jolted by Keke Napep ban. Where are the 200cc bikes promised by the Fashola government to replace the banned okada?

If the government should import the 200cc bikes today, how many residents can muster enough economic strength to procure them?

“A lot of people suffer long distance trek because of the thoughtlessness of this government. What is the essence of making a city mega when government policies are devoid of human face? Is the so-called ‘meganess’ about the city or the people in the city? There are many places the regular buses and taxis cannot get to. The harrowing experiences most Lagosians go through on the major and ancillary roads in the state are unthinkable.

Many roads are in deplorable conditions that the commuters have to depend on motorcycles and tricycles to ply them. Now that those means of transportation have been phased out, many are subjected to trekking. The ban on tricycles is like creating more problems for the burdened commuters especially during this rainy season.”

The human rights activist also censured the road construction projects going on in the state, describing them as mere propaganda.

“The road construction going on in some parts of the state is nothing but propaganda. Why should the government wait till when the rainy season before it started its construction works? Why should they wait till now to get busy with road maintenance and drainage dredging? By now they ought to have completed their road projects and should not have started new construction works.”

http://mydailynewswatchng.com/2013/05/16/keke-napep-ban-cacol-berates-lagos-govt/