Nigeria’s Bayelsa state government has injected 300 ‘ restoration city cabs’ to replace motor cycles as a means of transportation in the capital of Yenagoa.

Gov. Seriake Dickson who unveiled the taxis, 100 of which are tricycles, at the official commissioning said, “What you are seeing here today, as good as it is, is just the beginning. We want a transportation system that is second to none. Our aspiration is to turn the state into another London that will be haven to tourists and investors from all over the world.’’

The governor said that when he announced the ban on commercial motorcycle transport, popularly known as ‘Okada’, many of his critics said that the previous administration did same and did not solve the transport problem in the state.

He said, “I have been on the saddle for just six months now, and I expected that the people should know the difference. The difference is that when we say something, we mean it and we do it.”

Dickson called on the beneficiaries of the cab, who he urged to be good ambassadors of the state, to ensure maximum use of the cabs.

He warned that he would withdraw the cabs from any of them found to have converted it into personal use.

“This is a test scheme, so make good use of it so that we would not be discouraged. You are not to pack it in your homes as a private car, but rather put them to maximum use for the benefit of our people”, the governor said.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Transport, Mrs Marie Ebikake, lauded the vision of Dickson in initiating the new transport scheme to replace the operation of commercial motorcycles.

She said, “Our governor had seen the sufferings of the people in using `okada’, with daily incidence of accidents, including motorcycle aided robberies and other transport inconveniences that is common in our state capital.”

The commissioner said that the initial ban on okada transport expired on July 31, but that the state government decided to extend it by a month following the public outcry, which compelled the governor to extend it to Aug. 31.

“From today, the avoidable accidents of Okada that had led to many deaths and disability among our people will be a thing of the past.

“No more motorcycle-aided robbery and people can now move freely both in the rain and sunshine,” Ebikake said.

The commissioner said that the first batch of the scheme witnessed the procurement of 100 tricycles and 200 mini-saloon cars, which she described as comfortable and roomy” vehicles to run transportation in the state.

The commissioner said that the vision of Dickson was not limited to the purchase of the taxi cabs alone.

She said that the state government was negotiating with a reputable motor company for the purchase of buses to support the scheme in order to reduce the cost of transportation in the state. NAN

[url]http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/09/01/bayelsa-injects-taxis-to-replace-motor-cycles/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PmNewsNigeria+%28PM+News+Nigeria%29&utm_content=FaceBook[/url].............. this is a tough time for most bayelsa residents cos there are some areas that cars cant easily access. moreover am yet to see the newly purchased taxi on the road. i heard its distributed to top politicians and civil servants

keke napep will do the job.

achi4u: keke napep will do the job.

the keke napep was shared a week ago and am yet to see them sha....maybe they will all start on monday

gov dickson test driving one of the cars

Gov Dickson is just one of the MOST visionless governor in Nigeria

mankevo: Gov Dickson is just one of the MOST visionless governor in Nigeria

whats makes u think so? ..... cos for me i think he is trying... just that the cars(taxi) he gave out top politicians and civil servants, will all disappear within 6months....

Valto: ..... cos for me i think he is trying... just that the cars(taxi) he gave out top politicians and civil servants, will all disappear within 6months....

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font] so did the above mean trying or settling politicians as he did Madam?

mankevo: [/b][/font][/color] so did the above mean trying or settling politicians as he did Madam?

thats how its been done all this years... even the the cars sylva bought then for taxi, most of them av disappeared, cos most of politician and top civil servants keep it for themselves without giving it out to people that can do the taxi work

This is my state we are talking about here so pls seun don't ban me as I humbly ask how thgis news will affect the price of ................ In the market?

Dickson is the man, GEJ for 2015

President, LIVE from otueke, ogbia LGA, Bayelsa

madam abeg,mix peper soup and beans,add okporoko and kpomo joing and spray some stew if posible.no time

Only 300 cars? Grossly inadequate.

So??
We shud clap for him??
Na him money??

.bbpreye:
This is my state we are talking about here so pls seun don't ban me as I humbly ask how thgis news will affect the price of ................ In the market?

Dickson is the man, GEJ for 2015

President, LIVE from otueke, ogbia LGA, Bayelsa

The man for using state funds to buy 300 cars? Dickinson is the woman in fact!

By now bayesans wil regret voting Dickson,dey are some areas that can only b assessable with okadas.
300 taxis is too small n it can solve d transport problem
I served in Bayesa and I knw hw dey wil feel by now,anyway I pity dos ABOKI riding d okadas.

Able govnor, while I will be commending you for this feat, I'll also want to draw ur attention to d fact that yenagoa is a very small metropolis frm Igbogene down to Swali, you've got a very small land mass, you can fix d roads and all d streets and corridors leading to all d houses in the state, with good asphalt or interlocking stones and nice drainage system too, you can do that with minimal stress, thats what you owe d pple of the state. After you've done that, d banning of okada will make meaningful sense. Otherwise the 300 keke napep and taxis no go even affect d price of garri in swali market.

what! 300 taxis my joystick!.If I may ask where is d 1600 buses GEJ bought to alleviate d effect of increase in fuel pump earlier this year?.... I actually saw one in my street this morning on its way to deliver cassava bread to some senators...this country and its 36 states are just running in circles.












#freeteamgarri

Hw can 300 taxis replaced numba of moto cycles in da state....dis doesnt mak sense to me....no much prob if only dey can mak d transport fare affordable 4 da common man...

All the governors busy buying taxis when their mates are building bridges and thinking of generating power should continue.......in the case of Dickson or prickson......pikin wey resemble papa don try we no fit vex for am.

Ride on prickson, NA ur papa u resemble.

ANother Visionless Governor. . . Nigerians wake up and stop hiring fools!!!

thanks moderator for taking this to the homepage......... i can see a handfull of those new taxis operating already.... but 300 taxis and tricycles wouldnt still be enough, cos most people were stranded on the road today . i wonder what will happen on monday.... note... the amount of okada that use to operate in yenagoa b4 is more than 3000..

Dickson should see to it that those cars are made to serve the purpose for which they have been bought

Kobojunkie: ANother Visionless Governor. . . Nigerians wake up and stop hiring fools!!!

what do u expect from a lawyer and former policeman

But why are people so hard on Nairaland. Oga Seun stopped the use of "garri price" today yet some dude and babes are still using it. Im just wondering if their stubbornness would reduce d cost of g***i in Bayelsa main market.

@Post

I hope they can maintain them because we lack a maintenance culture in Nigeria. The cabs that El-rufai introduced in Abuja back then are now almost all packed up. I hope these cabs in Bayelsa don't end up the same way.

.bbpreye:
This is my state we are talking about here so pls seun don't ban me as I humbly ask how thgis news will affect the price of ................ In the market?

Dickson is the man, GEJ for 2015

President, LIVE from otueke, ogbia LGA, Bayelsa

President of Nairaland Garri Association...

I just hope ur perseverance will reduce the price of garri in the market

dasparrow: @Post

I hope they can maintain them because we lack a maintenance culture in Nigeria. The cabs that El-rufai introduced in Abuja back then are now almost all packed up. I hope these cabs in Bayelsa don't end up the same way.

i doubt if they can, though some of the cab former gov sylva bought are still operating and they arent that bad..

Well, from the much I know, most of the cars are yet to be given out. They are still parked at the premises of the Ministry of Transport. IMHO, by the time most of them are released the price of ga**i in Swali market will most definitely come down. Like a poster observed above, the best thing for Gov Dickson to do would have been to try & create new roads from Igbogene to Elebele, Azikoro, Swali & Down Yenagoa. This will take off the pressure on the Melford Okilo (Mbiama-Yenagoa) Road as well as provide enough alternative routes for motorists and lay the background for a vibrant transport industry in the state capital.

If Gov. Dickson has his own laptop team on Nairaland, let them take the clue and pass on the message, not the Virus.

What should be taken for granted in a normal democracy is celebrated in Nigeria as an achievement by our politicians.