Bring Your Bike, Get N50,000 •A’Ibom Govt Lures Okada Riders Out Of The Streets


Okada riders. inset: Acting governor, Ekere, speaking with okada riders
The ban of motorcycles from the streets of Uyo metropolis extending up to Akwa Ibom State international Airport and the Le’Meridien Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort, Nwaniba, seems to have been long expected by many residents, the commercial operators as well as visitors alike.

The ban, as announced by the state government was to take effect from Saturday July 2, but was shifted for one week (precisely July 9) to make for time in order for the operators to turn in their bikes for an offer of N50, 000 cash which the government promised.

There is no official figure, but it is estimated that over 20,000 commercial motorcycles operate in Uyo metropolis and as the time of the one week extension, not up to half of them had turned up.

The ban which is total, affecting both private and commercial bikes, was announced on Tuesday June 28, by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Nsima Ekere, who was then acting in the absence of the governor, who was on his annual leave.

Speaking during a meeting with the leadership of the Akwa Ibom Professional and Commercial Motorcyclists Association, (APCOMA), at Government House, Uyo, Mr. Ekere explained that government was forced to take the decision to check the spate of armed robbery, kidnapping and other heinous crimes perpetrated by some unscrupulous persons using motorcycles.

He stressed that the state government could not afford to fold its arms while criminals continued to destroy the lives and properties of innocent citizens.

The Acting governor pointed out that in preparation for the ban, Governor Godswill Akpabio in consultation with APCOMA had since set up a committee to work out palliative measures for the motorcyclists and their passengers.

Accordingly, he announced the immediate release of 200 tricycles for distribution by the committee to members of APCOMA for use within the city.

He expressed the hope that these tricycles, in addition to 10 Marcopolo buses, 40 Toyota Hiace buses and 300 saloon cars, will cushion the effect the motorcycle ban will have on commuters.

To heap the affected motorcyclists get alternative means of livelihood, Mr. Ekere said the state government will immediately start purchasing the motorcycles off those with genuine proofs of ownership at a flat rate of N50, 000.00.

Those who may not have turned in their motorcycles for purchase by government before the enforcement begins, he said, will thereafter have to obtain slips from the office of the Secretary to the State Government, which will serve as permit to ride within a short period to the venue of the buy-off.

Also, Mr. Ekere disclosed that the state government has equally set up a N1billion revolving loan scheme to be accessed by members of APCOMA who may have had training in different trades and crafts.

Of the N1billion sum, he said, N500 million would be released to a committee set up by the government for disbursement to qualified members in order to avoid injury to their economic well-being.

He stated that an inter-agency committee had been set up by government to ensure total compliance with the ban and also report on other issues that may arise as a result of the ban.

He thanked the leadership of APCOMA for its understanding and cooperation with the state government in the steps so far taken to curtail criminal activities in the city.

At the state Ministry of Works office in Uyo as well as at the premises of Ibom Hall also in Uyo, many operators of the bike were seen struggling to meet up the deadline and most importantly show obedience.

Some of them spoken to expressed support for the ban and commended the cash initiative. “We can not fight against government order. We will comply but we also appeal for sincerity because some of us have been going to the designated venues to identify ourselves and get the money, but to no avail. It makes people begin to think that only a few may be attended to,” one of the okada riders said.

As much as the intended beneficiaries are crying foul over the delay and suffering they have had to pass through in other to get the government offer, some of them are also trying to be smart by taking their functional bikes to the village and turning in any rickety bike they can rake up from a heap of abandoned and unusable ones.

Though the ban enjoys overwhelming popularity with the people, it was not easy to come by. The commercial motorcyclists’ sector of the society in Uyo is a huge population for political consideration and information in their ranks moves fast, wide and wild. In fact, an analysts said their ranks can make or mar the image of government, though they are assumed to be illiterate. On March 22 when a pre-election violence broke out in the state, the ensuing wanton destruction left behind over one thousand brand new motor vehicles and tricycles burnt down. The vehicles were part of those acquired by the state government in preparation for the ban on motor cycles in the state capital. The vandalisation is still being investigated by appropriate authorities but the government has shown her resolve to achieve the set objectives by going ahead with the ban and even announcing palliatives that are commended by many.

A pharmacist who gave his name as Itoro, said he supports the ban, explaining that “barely 24 hours after the government announced the date for the ban, a man was trailed from a bank by a two-man gang of robbers on a bike. They closed in on the man by a traffic point as the man was inside his Toyota corolla; they attacked the man in broad day light and shot him dead before making away with the money using a motor bike.”

He added, “apart from crime and other atrocities committed with the aid of motor bikes, numerous accidents are cause by the recklessness of motor bikes. So, banning it is a step in the right direction. After all, it has been banned in many other state capitals long before now. Port Harcourt, Calabar, Enugu, Aba, Abuja etc. moreso, Uyo has a comparatively motorable internal network of roads.”

The support is across political divide in the state. According to the governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mr. Larry Esin, “the primary responsibility of government is to ensure the well-being and safety of its citizens. If commercial motorbikes, were in anyway, a threat to the well being and safety of the Akwa Ibom people, then the government acted correctly in banning their services.”

Another respondent who gave his views on the matter said “the task before the enforcement committee is huge because people naturally resist change or do not accept change easily. So there will be some recalcitrance but the government must be resolute. Sanity and orderliness must be established in the sector of our society,” Ime, who is a civil servant said.

Only in Nigeria will such a decision take root without adequate preparation., If you have statistics of crimes committed by Okada users then you would have already budgeted and acquired alternate transport before forcing the ban. does he mean crimes cannot be committed by drivers or tricycles and cars?

N50,000 is a one-time pay-off, the Okada owners make sustained income from their Okada, why not introduce small-scale farming (cheap lands, subsidized fertilizer and farm implements) at least the poor ones who have lost their jobs can have a means not only to sustain their livelihood but also give back to the state. I reckon more money will be spent on TINAPA and the yearly masquerade carnivals instead but hey, I am not the Governor

We will no take the bait!

Wetin be N50,000? Mtcheeww! e no even reach to buy Innoson Okada.

Fix the roads, provide jobs by attracting good businesses and pressurize the Federal government to give us 24hours electricity to pay for,  reduce your salary and allowance and give our children free health and education instead, then maybe we will reconsider.

But not 50K, give me a Toyota Hiace or 2M loan instead.