Don't ban Keke NAPEP, commuters plead with Enugu gov

Commuters in Enugu have appealed to Governor Sullivan Chime to rescind the decision on the ban of tricycles and commercial motorcyclists from plying dual carriage ways in Enugu.Reacting to the ban, some of the commuters which included school children, students, civil servants and traders, said the ban would create hardship for them, especially during peak hours of the day.Onyekachi Oguamah, a secondary school student, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recently in Enugu that the ban would affect him negatively.`Before the ban, if I come out by 7.20 a.m., I will enter okada that takes me to my school within 10 minutes. Though, I pay less using the bus, but I go to school late because of frequent stopping; either to drop or pick other passengers.''Mrs Cordelia Okafor, a petty trader, around one of the institutions of higher learning in Enugu, told NAN that some of the bus drivers refused carrying her because of the size of her goods.She suggested that Keke-NAPEP, as the tricycle is popularly called, should be retained, while okada riders should be banned for its involvments in road crashes and criminal activities.``For me, Chime should allow Keke NAPEP because they are not as reckless as Okada,'' she said.Mr Tony Okafor, an economic analyst, said that he was worried over the 'snowball effect' of enforcement of the ban.`If this directive is implemented effectively, many people will be thrown into the unemployment market while robbery and other ancillary crimes will increase especially now that Christmas celebration is around the corner.``Government should bring out workable measures that will cushion the effect of the directive by providing affordable intra-city taxis.''NAN observed that since the directive was given by government, commuters now spend more time to board buses to their destination.NAN recalled that Enugu government had, through the Ministry of Transport (MOT), directed the re-enforcement of the ban of commercial motorcycles and Keke-NAPEP from dual carriage ways in the city.
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