Transportation, the motion of men and women and merchandise from a single position to yet another, is a important driver of human progress. In Nigeria, the 3 important means of transportation are street, air, and water. Street transport however dominates the indicates of transportation, particularly in city and suburban areas. Studies show that highway transport would make up about 90 p.c of the movement of products and travellers in the country.
In new several years, the use of 3 and two-wheelers for transportation has risen dramatically, each for personal and commercial applications. Professionals are fast to issue out that the growing prevalence is directly related to the growing population, growing unemployment and the glaring inefficiencies of the offered city transport infrastructure. They are small children of requirement.
Yet another element driving the uptake of three and two-wheelers may perhaps be the collapse of the community intra-city transportation technique, unbearable visitors in city centres and the absence of past-mile facilities.
The truth is that there is an enhance in the use of two-wheelers for commercial needs mainly because they boost mobility and accessibility, in particular in parts with poor highway networks or exactly where there is traffic congestion, lower gasoline use, speed, dependability and overall flexibility. Also, quite a few government poverty eradication strategies are crafted close to the provision of two-wheelers to residents. They have essentially become portion of our lifestyle.
Of training course, there have been grievances towards the use of two-wheelers. Some allude to the actuality that they are a rationale for the developing incident of street traffic mishaps in urban spots. In new moments, viral films have revealed bandits and terrorist things driving all around in two-wheelers across the Savanah plains.
To fight the issues and handle the complaints, the government’s reaction has been just about predictable – information media report that the authorities is proposing a blanket ban on two-wheelers.
Initially, it was a mere rumour but now official federal government resources have voiced it. This type of knee-jerk response is unproductive and worrisome.
Throughout the environment, planes have been hijacked and employed for terrorist functions, but planes have not been banned. Vehicles have been used for robberies, however autos have not been banned. A teach was just lately bombed and some of the travellers were being kidnapped, but no a single is chatting about banning the procedure of trains.
Banning two-wheelers is not the solution. They fill an crucial gap, meet a major have to have and add to the nationwide economy. A ban is not the way to go.
Sure, a person reality that simply cannot be disregarded is that two-wheelers have experienced a great influence on the financial system. The professional use of two-wheelers has utilized hundreds of thousands of unemployed folks. Across the duration and breadth of the region, younger men without having careers, both equally educated and illiterate alike together with retirees have all taken to driving two-wheelers to make ends meet up with.
I remember, a time in the mid-1990s when my father, Sunday Eromosele, now late, rode two-wheelers (commonly named Okada) for virtually three several years next his retirement from Ibru Fisheries. He could not abandon his accountability for family maintenance.
In addition to those straight engaged in driving the motorcycles, some firms convey in entirely knocked down (CKD) parts and assemble them in the state, transferring crucial know-how capabilities in the process. Several other folks are into the sale of the distinctive brands of two-wheelers and spare pieces. There are some engaged in the repairs, company and maintenance, both enterprise-owned and private person managed. And some banks finance the bulk of these transactions.
There is a massive ecosystem involved in the provision of two-wheelers, a blanket ban would impact negatively across as well a lot of sectors.
It can be argued that in the gentle of how interwoven two-wheelers have grow to be in each day financial activity, a whole ban will be counter-successful. Rather than reach, the wanted end result, regardless of what it could be, it may possibly in its place guide to an enhance in crime charge, decline of work and precipitate an economic downturn. The Nigeria Bureau of Data (NBS) suggests that the unemployment charge in the country is at the moment in the region of 33 %. So, banning a procedure that employs hundreds of countless numbers would be almost nothing, if not counterproductive.
Additionally, a nearer glimpse will expose that the federal government also make profits from the functions of two-wheelers, specifically in monies paid for plate figures, licenses and permits.
In Lagos State by itself about 10,000 new licenses are granted yearly aside from renewals. The figures accruing to the governing administration coffers will run into billions of naira.
We actually can not shy away from the truth that the procedure of two-wheelers has aided to simplicity the transportation challenges encountered by the people today throughout the region. They fill a gap that will be tricky to switch without large infrastructure and transportation methods overhaul.
Read also: ActionAid urges caution on proposed nationwide ban on okada
No, a blanket ban is not the resolution. We should investigate artistic answers to solve problems, not fast fixes. Almost everything need to not be dealt with with violence. No, a blanket ban is under no circumstances the remedy. We will have to discover innovative answers to take care of challenges.
The government ought to search at the registration of each two-wheeler linked with the NIN. It can also contemplate nearer monitoring and inspection. This is a excellent way to equally develop jobs. For inspectors.
Currently, Nigeria is slowly getting a hub for the producing of two-wheelers and profits throughout the West African coastline. There is a large inflow of Overseas Direct Expenditure (FDI), boosting financial functions and contributing to the nation’s GDP.
Over and above the establishment of generation factories and assembly strains, quite a few are opening up assistance and instruction stores throughout the region. In the five several years, countless numbers of people today have been experienced in two-wheeler repairs and maintenance throughout the country. Curiously repair service of two-wheelers is carefully linked to generator fix. So, we obtain a problem where by youthful people who repair service two-wheeler also resolve generators and vice versa. It is today a thriving industry on its have.
This is position creation. This is economic efficiency.
Also, with advancement in eCommerce, logistics and supply providers have turn into almost indispensable. It is not surprising that two and three-wheelers dominate this house. They are essential elements in the digital financial system that the Federal government is actively endorsing and applying throughout the nation. Electronic economic climate and logistics are like Siamese twins with two and a few-wheelers as the legs.
Transportation retains remarkable prospective. Two and three-wheelers are a large part of this likely. The govt need to discover techniques to assist and probably far better regulate but not ban two-wheelers.
Eromosele, a company communication specialist/public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos