10th July, 2012
Following the recent ban on motorcycles in Enugu metropolis, the Enugu State Government in the eastern part of Nigeria said it will partner with the private sector to flood the city with tricycles.
The state’s Commissioner for Transport, Mr Chuka Utazi, announced the plan in an interview with today in Enugu.
He said the state was partnering with banks, corporate bodies and private individuals to provide tricycles in order to make transportation easier and accessible to citizens.
“Now that this opportunity has been created that Okada riders have been banned, so many banks, so many individuals, corporate citizens have been trying to get in touch to flood the city with Keke NAPEP.
“Very soon, in the weeks to come, we will be contending with how we are going to manage Keke in the town here. So, what we are telling them is what type they are bringing in here.
“Those ones that will be environmentally friendly, the ones that can accommodate the people here without endangering lives, do you have safety check on it?
“So, we are going to pick a chose in weeks to come, which one should operate in Enugu.
“So these problems are going to be solved shortly so that people can be better treated. What the government is doing is to discourage people from using their cars and save their income. ’’
The commissioner also announced that the state would commence the process of `marking off’ rickety buses from the roads, adding that the assistance of the private sector would be needed to bring in air-conditioned buses.
On the high charges by taxi drivers, he said the government had warned them to always pick passengers based on routes and not by charter.
He said that drivers who failed to heed the government’s warning would have their taxis withdrawn.
Utazi urged the citizens of the state to reverse their mindset on the ban on motorcycles, adding that the decision was in their best interest. (NAN)