ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
The rumours making the rounds that Bayelsa State government is planning to ban the operations of commercial tricycle operators in Yenagoa, the state capital, and its environs, is false, unthinkable and falacious, Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo has said.
He reiterated that the government had no plan whatsoever to stop commercial tricycle, popularly called Keke from operating in the state.
Ewhrudjakpo clarified that the recent meeting which the government held with the various transport unions and the tricycle operators was mainly intended to brief them on security measures being taken to check crimes being committed with tricycles.
He further explained that part of the security measures included the registration of all Keke owners and riders with proper data capturing.
According to Ewhudjakpo, the new arrangement will provide every registered Keke operator in the state with a special security identification number that will make for easy tracking both at night and in the daytime.
Ewhrudjakpo, however, urged the public to contribute towards fighting crime and be wary of mischievous people who engage themselves in malicious disinformation in order to paint the government in a bad light.
He said the Douye Diri administration was conscious of the economic implications of an outright ban on tricycles, as it would result in loss of jobs, unemployment and economic hardship for thousands of people and their families.
He said: “The Bayelsa State Government is not banning Keke. People should not misrepresent what we said the other day when we met with their unions.
“We are very much aware that placing a ban on Keke will cause a lot of hardship on both the owners/ riders and the citizens. For the owners and riders, their means of livelihood will be snuffed out of them, while the citizens will have difficulty in mobility.
“Government has only said that we want to re-register them to make sure that the data of both owners and riders are well captured and that they will all be given special security identification numbers.
“So that their numbers and passports will be available to the government. With this arrangement, once any Keke is alleged to have been used for crime, it will be easy for the security people to track and get it.
“We also want the public to do their part by watching out for the special security number of the Keke and raise an alarm when it is used in committing crime. You don’t leave everything for the government to do.”
He reiterated that government’s recent policy on Keke operations in Yenagoa was mainly intended to curb the rising spate of criminal activities being carried out with tricycles, and should not be misconstrued by anyone as a ban.
He, therefore, called on members of the public, especially Keke owners and riders to discountenance the wrong information being peddled.