Disregard FRSC’s senseless recommendation -By Kunle Rotimi

FRSC Boss, Boboye Oyeyemi

I am baffled by the alleged recommendation by the Federal Road Safety Corps that government should ban all commercial motorcycle operators in Nigeria!

The reason of the FRSC authorities for this bizarre recommendation is because accident occurs through the use of motorcycles by the operators!

What a senseless recommendation from the agency that seems not to reason beyond its cosy boardroom!

So, because accident occurs, the motorcycles should be banned? And where does the FRSC expect the struggling cyclists to get their means of livelihood after the ban?

In the warped thinking of the FRSC, it may also mean that because of air crash, commercial airlines should be banned? And because of boat accidents, canoes and yachts should be banned?

Is beheading the patient the best antidote for a headache? Why do some people think carelessly?

If the thoughtless recommendation of the FRSC is enforced, the high rates of unemployment, untold hardships and poverty will soar astronomically!

All the poor motorcycle operators will be jobless and desperate, and their toiling families will be thrown into abject penury!

Does the bumbling FRSC ever consider these odds before its hasty recommendation? I do not think so.

Lots of low income workers, security personnel and students will miss or get late to offices, duty posts and schools, if the crazy ban is enforced.

In a poorly-led country with a horrible transport system and difficult access roads, motorcycles have been found to be very valuable and effective in conveying the vulnerable masses, to and fro their homes and destinations!

And without suggesting or providing viable alternatives, the FRSC is recommending a ban on motorcycles which also feed their dealers, repairers, spare parts sellers and commercial riders!

If the inchoate recommendation of the FRSC is implemented by government, armed robbery and insecurity will increase, because artisans driven by frustration and infrastructural deficits to riding “okada” will turn into marauders, to survive!

Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi and his cohorts at the FRSC, who recommend as such, should have applied conventional wisdom to know that the negative implications of the ban are grave and not in the public interest!

They should think that revenues from motorcycles’ licences will drastically reduce and national GDP will decline.

With the ban, sales of fuel and engine oil will reduce at petrol stations, affecting energy incomes!

Millions of masses will trek longer distances with loads on their heads, from rural communities to major roads. Valuable time will be wasted for those who may need bikes to keep appointments!

One would have expected the FRSC to reason more responsibly by suggesting precautionary measures to reduce motorcycle accidents on Nigerian bad roads.

First, the root cause analysis will reveal that very many motorcyclists do not have driving licence! Hunger and hardships have forced them to the roads; once they mount the bike and ignite it, that is all.

But the FRSC in conjunction with the states’ transport agencies can ensure that motorcycle riders get valid licence. This will generate revenues for government and keep licensed cyclists in employment.

The hypocritical FRSC ought to have recommended to government, that all access roads should be tarred and craters filled, so that good buses can ply them. Bad roads cause accidents largely in Nigeria.

Routes can be delineated to keep cyclists away from busy expressways which may pose danger. Where good buses ply good roads sufficiently, commercial cyclists may be banned, even commuters will not patronise bikes!

Also, a motorcycle operator should be prohibited from carrying more than one passenger, at a time. Their tyres and roadworthiness must be checked periodically to ensure safety. That is the responsibility of the FRSC and other road transport agencies.

Riders of motorcycles must not smoke hemp or drink alcohol while on duty. The FRSC can liaise with the cyclists’ associations for checks and balances.

All these same precautionary measures will reduce accidents through commercial motorcycles.

If the FRSC thinks banning them is the best, then, commercial buses will soon be added to the prohibition list, because, they also cause accidents in larger proportions than motorcycles on the roads!

Kunle Rotimi

Ikeja, Lagos State
+234 803 318 8836