Uyo tricycles: For better or worse?

So far report shows Lagosians are still trying to get used to this new road culture so much it appears as if Lagos governor could be a car freak or just loves driving. In Akwa Ibom State the ban of motor bikes was implemented and the introduction of KEKE NAPEP tricycles emerged for public use.  […]

So far report shows Lagosians are still trying to get used to this new road culture so much it appears as if Lagos governor could be a car freak or just loves driving.

In Akwa Ibom State the ban of motor bikes was implemented and the introduction of KEKE NAPEP tricycles emerged for public use.  Now, one year after how have road users accepted this new system?

For a start, we talked with a township taxi driver by name Aniefon Jimmy. He said “the problem with KEKE drivers is that they take away alot of customers from taxis. With rumours that the government could be introducing about 300 taxis, we don’t know how that would work well.”  He added that “KEKE NAPEP are out of control. We pay both local government and union levies and they have to pay only for tickets”.

For Aniefon, he sees the KEKE drivers as pests “because they would stop anywhere to pick passengers,” even at a risk to passengers. They are quicker and cheaper. We have to wait on long queues before we load our cars.” Aniefon said he finds it frustrating.

We had to ride with one of the KEKE drivers and ask him some questions. Just as we had begun our trip down Oron road, Mendie, the KEKE driver, tried to pick a passenger. Instantly, a bus conductor blocked the passenger from entering the KEKE and Mendie sped off.

We began questioning Mendie why there was’nt a system of picking passengers? As usual we were not surprised to learn that KEKE business, according to Mendie, was “operated by former bike riders KEKE owners and vast number of people from various poor backgrounds use them.”

Out of curiosity we asked if they had received any form of road training by any FRSC officer. He answered “No. The tricycle isn’t hard to drive. That’s why anybody would just think he could operate these machines without observing traffic rules”. It is more stable than a motor bike.

But then there is the other side to the coin in which not all motorists would agree with which could be positive. Mendie doesn’t see it as all that bad, neither do others.

For motorists KEKE is just a problem, same as motor bikes users. The “only positive thing” out of this arrangement is that it “reduces insecurity”. Mendie goes on: “The bike is a fast get away tool from crimes but since the KEKE is very slow the rate of theft has reduced”.

According to Dr Essien Usendiah, a Surgeon at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, “the rate of accidents has reduced due to reduced number of related patients”.

Most government agents are seen collecting ticket fares or impounding these KEKE and taxis for traffic or other offences. Almost all drivers we have spoken to do not have an up-to-date orientation of road usage traffic rules or road culture. This has been the complaint of every road user here in Akwa Ibom. In town planning, roads don’t accommodate transport operators and consultants to these road contracts are often ineffective.

For taxi drivers like Aniefon he would rather prefer KEKE operates outside the city center, while Mendie would prefer KEKE is given a special lane for operation or otherwise look for another job. Mendie says he continues to drive the KEKE so as to feed himself until the government tells them otherwise but he is concerned about how little the job is regarded by government and consumers.