Come November 15, commercial motorcyclists will no more operate on the streets of Calabar metropolis, although they could still work within rural parts of the capital city and outlying districts, the Cross River State government said at the weekend.
The special adviser to the state governor on public transportation, Gabriel Okulaja, who announced the ban in a meeting with the leaders of commercial cyclists union, said any operator seen in the metropolis with a passenger after the deadline will be arrested.
The new directive will affect more than half of the 120,000 commercial cyclists (called Alalook) in the city.
To cushion the effect of the ban, Mr. Okulaja said 250 additional taxi cabs will soon join the fleet of cars made available to taxi drivers last year by government.
“The new taxi scheme was a gradual process to rid the streets of Calabar of rickety vehicles,” he said. “The 250 cars will be sold to cyclists who meet the state government’s conditions.” The conditions include membership of a recognised cooperative society, guarantee by a viable commercial bank of the loan sought and a convincing commitment not to default in payment.”
Government’s plan, he said, is to flood all the roads and streets of Calabar with 500 taxi cabs in the next two years and thus do away with the culture of carrying passengers on bikes.
“There’s hardly a day in Calabar that we do not record one accident or the other,” he said. “At both the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and General Hospital, Calabar, there are special wards for victims of motor bike accidents.” The special adviser said when the ban comes into effect, taxi drivers no longer have to stick to designated routes.
The new taxi scheme, he said, seeks to bring dignity to intra-city travelling after the discovery that carrying people on motorcycles and overspeeding by the riders are the major causes of road accidents in the metropolis.
Those willing to take up the scheme will do so under a private-public-partnership arrangement. The loan for this is being guaranteed by the state government, which wants Calabar to maintain its status as gateway to tourism in the state, Mr. Okulaja said.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Edet Okon Asim, said the ban on Okada business in Calabar also became necessary as some cyclists use their bikes to rob.
Shabby operators
“Since Cross River is now the preferred tourism destination in West Africa, it behoves the state government to put in place a befitting taxi scheme for the ease of local and foreign tourists,” Mr. Asim said.
He said Okada operators are defacing the streets of Calabar with their worn-out machines and shabby appearance, all of which does not befit the clean and green nature of the city.
But Effiong Akpanudo, a commercial motorcyclist of 15 years, faulted government for the decision and branded it unworkable.
“In this city, there are no factories and companies to employ people. The cheapest means of self-employment is this Alalook business,” he said.
The Akwa Ibom State-born cyclist and many others interviewed said the ban will lead to increase in crime, as those who can no more fend for themselves will resort to crime to eke out a living. The education of their children will also suffer, they added.
The respondents called on Liyel Imoke, the state governor, to suspend the ban for now as most streets in Calabar Municipal Council and Calabar South are not accessible by taxi and other vehicles.
An official of the motorcyclists union, who didn’t want his name mentioned, also said the ban will affect the state government. Following the ceding of 76 oil wells to Akwa Ibom State, the state has depended heavily on taxes, haulage fees, levies and daily toll paid by cyclists and taxi drivers. This, he said, will be affected by the ban.
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