The Association of Commercial Motorcycle Operators in Kaduna State has accepted plans by the state government to ban the operations of its members and introduce tricycles or Keke NAPEP.

The resolution by the executive of the commercial motorcyclists (otherwise known as achaba  in Kaduna but as okada in most parts of Nigeria) came after series of meetings with government.

Speaking after the meeting today in Kaduna, chairman of the commercial motorcyclists, Comrade Auwal Muhammad, said his association has agreed to collaborate with government in ensuring that the ban does not render their members unemployed.

Leaders of the commercial motorcyclists in Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan that attended the meetings however requested the government to allocate to their members a good number of tricycles when the scheme begins so as to cushion the effects of the loss of their means of livelihood.

News Express learnt that government agreed to the request and has offered to reserve 30 per cent of the tricycles it imported to members of the association. A list of those to benefit has also been compiled and submitted to government by the executive of the commercial motorcyclists.

Speaking during the meeting, the leader of Commercial Motorcycle Operators from Zaria, Mallam Ibrahim Isa Kagoro, appealed to the state government to incorporate their members in the government’s proposed transportation sector regulation and modernisation scheme.

Kagoro explained that the association is collaborating with security agencies across the state to ensure sanity in the business of commercial motorcycles operators in the face of the current security challenges and the use of motorcycles to commit crime.

On his part, the leader of commercial motorcyclists from Kafanchan Zone, Mallam Badamasi Adamu Kafanchan, assured of their support and cooperation but urged government to have their interest at heart.

In his remark, leader of the Kaduna State representatives and the Director General Media and Publicity to the Governor, Ahmed Maiyaki, assured that government would collaborate with stakeholders in the transport sector, especially the Commercial Motorcyclists Association, even before the bill meant to their operations in the state is passed into law.

Maiyaki explained that in line with the regulation and modernisation of the sector, the state government intends to disburse 700 tricycles (Keke NAPEP) out of which 210 would be given to members of the association.

He explained further that the state government is putting measures in place to ensure that members of the association would not suffer any loss or negatively feel the impact of the proposed banning of the commercial motorcycles business in the state.

According to Maiyaki, apart from the 700 tricycles, the state government has also taken delivery of Tata buses, Hiace buses and Nissan Sunny taxis under the SURE-P programme which would be distributed to beneficiaries soon.