The Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners, Repairs, and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) have appealed to the Federal Government to review its proposed ban on motorcycles.
ACOMORAN President, Samsudeen Apelogun, made an appeal at a news conference in Abuja on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on July 21, the National Security Council proposed a nationwide ban on commercial motorcycle operations.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who disclosed the council’s plan linked it to the fight against terrorism.
According to Apelofun, the proposed ban on commercial motorcycles will create more problems because they also serve as means of transportation for the people.
“The council is proposing to put an end to the means of mobility and source of livelihood of 40 million Nigerians.
“This will have a negative effect because motorcycles are means of commercial transportation that have provided the needed jobs for millions of Nigerian citizens,
“Some of these riders are graduates of higher institutions who would have been an added weight on an already over-blown unemployed sector of the country.
“Commuters see motorcycles as a relief to traffic and other transportation problems while riders see it as a source of livelihood,” he said.
The ACOMORAN president said that without doubt, motorcycles had enhanced mobility for middle-income earners and also contributed to an increase in productivity through an increase in man-hours.
“It has also improved accessibility, employment opportunities, and job insecurity thereby, reducing poverty through improved income and a boost economic growth.
“A reliable and affordable road transportation system plays a very useful role in the social-economic development of nations,” Apelogun said.
He further said that members of the association were law-abiding citizens who believed there was dignity in labour.
“We struggle every day to provide for our families and also ensure we don’t do anything that will contravene the law of the land.
“We ensure we pay our tax daily to the government in form of tickets and levies and never fail to comply with the safety directory.
“We want to put it on record that 95 percent of those riding motorcycles are doing it because they don’t have any better option and they are unwilling to resort to crime,” he said.
Apelogun noted that the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the association introduced a security-wise app called ‘NISPSAS’.
“This app ensures the proper registration of the database of all riders and proffers a lot of advantages in helping to compose riders.
“ACOMORAN as a body foresaw this kind of plan by the government which led us to introduce an innovative idea to develop an app named ”ACORIDE”,
“ACORIDE is a large database that serves a regulatory purpose between the association, riders, and commuters, the association leader said.
He, however, reiterated the association’s promise to support the Federal Government in bringing to book anyone or group that intended to jeopardise its efforts.
“We, therefore, appeal to the government to carefully think through the proposed action which will subject severe hardship on the masses.
“We also appeal passionately to the government to take a holistic view of the problem concerning the ban and call for a parley with all the stakeholders to proffer solutions,” he added.