Commuters groans over keke ban, accuse gov’t of indifference

The restriction of the operation of commercial tricycles by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) within the Federal Capital City (FCC) has generated concern among residents as commuters lament inadequate palliative measures by the government. Some commuters said they now pay twice what they normally pay as transport fare to their offices before the enforcement […]

The restriction of the operation of commercial tricycles by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) within the Federal Capital City (FCC) has generated concern among residents as commuters lament inadequate palliative measures by the government.

Some commuters said they now pay twice what they normally pay as transport fare to their offices before the enforcement of the restriction order.

Commuters, mostly low-income earners, on the Galadimawa-Jabi Airport road bypass; Gwagwa-Jabi-Arab bus stop; Garki-Apo road; Gwarinpa-Life Camp, Kado, Jahi axis are largely affected by the restriction order.

In ensuring compliance, FCT task force comprising officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Police, and other paramilitary organisation are stationed at strategic entry and exit points to these places.

While some of these affected residents rely on Taxify, UBER and other electronic enhanced transportation mechanism, majority are seen at bus stops, mostly during rush hours, struggling to board few available taxis and long capacity buses.

When our reporters visited one of the bus stops around Jabi Garage where, before the restriction, the commercial tricycle operators usually picked passengers to Airport Junction, Jabi Life camp, Kado Estate, Gwarinpa and other places within these routes, commuters were stranded with no vehicle to convey them to their various destinations.

One of the commuters, Scholastica Ajah, who said she was waiting to get a vehicle to Airport junction, had stood for over 30 minutes with no vehicle to convey her.

“I am going to Airport Junction which was just N50 from here but I have not gotten a vehicle for over 30 minutes and this is what I face every day since the ban of Keke NAPEP.

“The government has banned commercial buses, banned keke but yet, they did not provide an alternative, not even increasing the numbers of El-Rufai buses (long capacity buses) which are now very few across the city and often overcrowded,” she said.

Another commuter, Solomon Avender, said he used to get to his destination in Kado Estate within five minutes when Keke was in operation but he had been standing for over one hour and still hadn’t gotten a ride. He also accused the few taxi drivers plying the route of taking advantage of the tricycle ban to increase the fares without any justification for the price hike.

“From here to fish market, Kado Estate, airport junction and other places close by was N50 before but they’re collecting N100 now and the taxis are not even enough, which is why you see us all struggling to enter one car.

“If this problem continues, some people will end up losing their job because they equally face the same problem when coming to work in the morning,” he said.

For Amase Msughshima, the ban of Keke in Abuja city was a welcome development considering some of the operators’ reckless driving and continuous disobedience to traffic laws, but he however faults government’s inability to provide other suitable alternatives such as increasing the urban mass transit to fill the vacuum created by the ban of commercial tricycle operators.

“It used to take me 10 minutes to get to my house in Kado Estate but I have been here for at least 40 minutes and I don’t know how much longer it will take me to get a vehicle.

“The mass transit buses are spacious and can accommodate a large number of people. If more of those are dispatched to this route, it will go a long way in alleviating the sufferings of commuters here.

“One major problem with the mass transit buses is that it is always overcrowded. They just pack people like fish with no breathing space at all, which is unhealthy,” Amase said.

Mr. John Chidi, a Lokogoma resident, said the restriction was poorly timed, adding that it has heightened the hardship of the people. He said the government ought to have provided enough buses and other palliatives measures before restricting the tricycles.

“We just woke up to discover that there is no more Keke NAPEP. But I’ve adjusted, as well as some other people,” he said. Now, leaving Lokogoma to Garki is a big problem but I can’t complain. Nobody can fight the government,” he added.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has said that the reinvigorated road traffic policy was intended to save lives on the roads and not to inflict hardship on residents of the FCT.

Malam Bello stated this at the public presentation of the road traffic policy for a Safe, Functional and Efficient transport system for the nation’s Federal Capital. He added that there was need for an attitudinal change by road users to safeguard the sanctity of lives, adding that the people have to realise that breaking traffic laws is unacceptable.

The minister explained that the collaborative measures taken by the FCT Administration and the various security agencies in the FCT were geared towards ensuring that all traffic regulations are followed to save lives and ensure a safer city.

He said: “Journeys that ought to take a short time, because of the available facilities, take much longer, simply because many road users decide not to follow basic rules of traffic use within the city. It is manifested through parking on areas that are meant for pedestrian walkways, ignoring pedestrian bridges, ignoring zebra crossings, driving against traffic, overloading, parking in undesignated car parks. People have to learn to respect zebra crossing. Motorists must respect pedestrians and school children at zebra crossings.”

While stressing that there was no ban on commercial tricycles and commercial motorcycles in the Federal Capital City (FCC), the minister emphasized that the law does not permit them on expressways or driving against traffic as they are inclined to do, adding that there are designated areas for each of them to operate. He explained: “What we are saying is that the laws are very clear. There are designated areas allowed for motorcycles. There are designated areas allowed for tricycles and what we are trying to do is to emphasize that.”

Malam Bello added that, “Our objective is to save lives; to make the human life valuable the way it’s supposed to be. And how can we do that? We have to make sure that all traffic regulations are adhered to and the advantage we have is that all these are covered by law and we are going to use the provisions of the Nigerian constitution, the laws of the highway code, the FCT Transport Regulations, the National Road Traffic Regulations and other traffic laws and regulations and we are going to back that with a robust support from the judiciary so that all those that violate traffic regulations and protocols are made to pay for it because that is the only way we can guarantee the safety of lives of our people.”

He, however, said that as part of plans to cushion the effect of the measures to bring sanity to FCT roads, the number of high capacity buses have been increased to cover the routes illegally plied by the commercial tricycles while the recently commissioned Abuja Light Rail would serve as alternative mode of transport for residents.

He assured that additional coaches will be made available for the Abuja light rail before the middle of next year while ten additional metro stations on the Abuja Airport line will be opened. This, he said, will ease the traffic on the roads.

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, said 20 patrol vans and 350 personnel have been deployed to the FCTA in furtherance of the cause.

He reiterated the commitment of the FRSC to work very closely with the FCTA for the success of the Safe Functional and Efficient traffic management policy of the FCTA.