- Asks Buhari to Rejig Security Instead
COMMERCIAL motorcycle operators, under the aegis of the Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners, Repairs and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN), on Monday called on the federal government to drop the idea of banning their operation as it is capable of aggravating the state of insecurity in the country.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, the National President of ACOMORAN, Samsudeen Apelogun, said the banning Okada operation would be counter-productive in the long run. He instead asked the federal government to reorganise the security architecture of the country.
“Without any attempt to join issues with the Honourable Minister and working with his statistics, the Council is proposing to put an end to the means of mobility and source of living of forty million Nigerians directly.
“Painfully, these are people whom the government failed to provide with meaningful employment or any form of sustainable empowerment, even though many of us are well-read with families and other dependents,” Apelogun said, as he cautioned on the economic and security implications, saying besides impoverishing millions of Nigerians, it would further compound the anti-social vices the government is trying to contain.
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, had announced that the National Security Council might be compelled to ban the use of motorcycles and mining activities as it has been discovered to be a major means of movement by bandits and source of amassing ransom from kidnap victims.
According to him, those using motorcycles as means of transport were not up to 20% of the country’s population. He said if that percentage of the people is made to sacrifice, “that sacrifice is not too much and is worthy of being considered.”
But Apelogun argued that higher crimes were being committed through the use of cars and buses and that majority of Okada operators do not live in the forest but ply their trade in the cities.
He criticised the government for its lack of effective security architecture and asked that it overhaul the intelligence-gathering mechanism, rather than create another monster that will rather aggravate the situation.
“Commuters see motorcycles as a relief to their transportation problems while motorcycle riders see their adventure as a source of livelihood. Without a doubt, the use of motorcycles has enhanced mobility for the middle and low income earners which by extension has contributed to an increase in production through an increase in man hours.
“Let me put it on record that from experience, 95 per cent of those you see riding motorcycles are doing it because they don’t have better options but they don’t want to take to crime.
“If ten million of these 40 million people they plan to render jobless take to crime, can the government contain them? If you attribute the movement of terrorists to motorcycles, don’t criminals operate with vehicles? When terrorists regrettably attacked Kuje prison, was it the motorcycle riders that caused the failure of intelligence gathering?
“If they rode motorcycles there, how were they able to beat all the security checkpoints to get to such a fortified facility? Was it motorcycles that made it possible for them to overpower the security agents attached to the facility? Are motorcycles also responsible for the late re-enforcement?
“If the security architecture is not working, the government should rejig it or do a total overhauling instead of blaming motorcycle operations for the failure of security agencies, thereby creating another monster that will ultimately add salt to injury.”
He told the government he said was at its twilight “to concentrate on how to alleviate the agonies of the citizenry against this move that will further compound their pains.”
Apelogun tutored the government on what he felt are practical ideas in combatting insecurity. “First, the government should revive the economy for businesses to thrive. Today, the naira exchanges at N630 to a US Dollar, and this deal a terrible blow to businesses. The epileptic natures of our power supply have grounded many small-scale industries thereby making it difficult for artisans to operate. If a solution is found to power supply today, I am very confident that many of the youths who are involved in criminality will be gain-fully employed or engaged.
“In summary, if the government can provide a stable power supply, organize the Bank of Transportation to cater to the transportation sector, revive our economy, make naira exchange at a reasonable rate against the dollar and other foreign currencies, provide infrastructure and an enabling environment for businesses and investors to drive or ply their trades as well as provide security agencies, especially the police that is in charge of the enforcement of law and order with the need tools and motivation.
“To work, the rate of criminality will drastically drop to a minimal level.”
