Motorbike taxi ban hits Abuja

By Senan John Murray
BBC News website, Abuja

Angry commuters have been left stranded waiting for infrequent taxis and buses this week in Nigeria's capital, as a ban on motorcycle taxis came into effect.

Commuters relied on okada riders for cheap, convenient transport

Many residents of Abuja and its satellite towns depend on the thousands of "okada" motorbikes as the cheapest and most convenient way of getting around.

The high profile minister in charge of the city of three million, Nasir el-Rufai, has cracked down on the motorbikes for two main reasons, he says.

Accident rates involving motorbike taxis are very high and the authorities have also become increasingly frustrated with the number of motorcycles being used as getaway vehicles in armed robberies across the city.

A frustrated Adamu Mohammadu, waiting for a minibus at an Abuja street corner, complained there had been no consultations before the ban was announced.

"If you want me to appreciate that type of decision, carry me along; seek my view before you decide on my behalf. If they are really protecting my interest, they should return those okada boys to the streets," he said.

A last-minute move saw an extra 150 buses on Abuja's streets this week, but the public transport system is struggling to cope with the extra demand and fares have almost doubled.

London-style

Mr El-Rufai's aim is to make Abuja the envy of other African cities and has famously demolished shanty towns and other illegal structures in the city.

A couple of years ago, he ordered a few London black cabs which still operate in the city, which has been Nigeria's capital for 15 years.

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Last year, he increased the number of "Abuja green cabs" - as they are known here - by ordering more French-built Peugeot 307s in partnership with the Abuja Leasing Company.

This is the system Mr El-Rufai hopes will replace the banned okada, but the fares are too high for ordinary Nigerians.

"El-Rufai is a hopeless idealist," civil servant Shuaibu Bala said angrily as he waited by the side of the road under the mid-afternoon's blazing sun.

"He wants to turn Abuja into London overnight. He has forgotten that London was not built in a day."

The minister's spokesperson, Amina Salihu, said the okada ban was in the best interests of Abuja residents.

"I tell you that with time, people will come to appreciate this decision," she said.

Anger

But as commuters waited by the side of the road for a bus, a minister's motorcade came speeding by, drawing angry comments and a few curses from the passengers in the queue.

When told that the ban was intended to lower okada-assisted crime in the city, a lady angrily retorted: "What does he know about crime in Abuja?

Okada riders warn the move will lead to a rise in crime not a drop

"He goes everywhere with armed police escorts with air conditioning systems running in his cars, how will he appreciate my most important concerns as a struggling Nigerian?

"Sometimes, these guys make you begin to think that things were far better under military rule."

The decision has also left okada riders angry and bewildered.

"As you see me now, I am totally confused," Chigozie Nwale, an 18-year-old okada rider said reclining on his Chinese-manufactured motorcycle just east of the city.

"I don't know what to do. I have been sleeping since morning because el-Rufai has effectively rendered me and so many others like me unemployed."

"I am not saying I will go into crime as a solution to this situation, but the temptation is quite strong and many of my colleagues might not be able to resist for too long."

Prince Ngige, 26, who introduced himself as the secretary of a branch of the okada drivers' union accuses the government of being insensitive.

"In the next three or four days, the rate of crime will increase because you know that an idle mind is the devil's workshop. If el-Rufai has ears, let him hear."

He says before the ban on okada, his daily earnings were about $20. He says he has only been able to make about $6 in the past two days.

"Now tell me, is Nigeria moving forwards or backwards?" he queried, his voice angry.

"Look, if they know what they are doing in this government, they should better listen to the voice of the ordinary people before things get out of hand."

Despite the criticism, the authorities in this city remain determined but laws of this nature do not always stick in Nigeria, so it is too early to say good-bye to the okada boys just yet.