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Kano residents are resorting to the use of commercial motorcycles, “okada”, and mini trucks, as their means of transportation within the city, following a strike embarked upon by tricycles operators.
Newsmen reports that the tricyclists commenced a one-week strike on Monday over “operational permit” enforced on them by the Kano State Road and Traffic Agency (KAROTA).
The mini trucks meant for conveying light goods within the commercial city are now also being used to transport people from one place to another.
It will be recalled that Kano Government banned the use of commercial motorcycles some years back, as part of measures to curtail activities of Book Haram insurgents in the state.
However, as the tricyclists embarked on the strike, “okada” riders resurfaced in Kano, the commercial nerve centre of Northern Nigeria.
Nura Abubakar, a secondary school student, said that he uses a tricycle every day to go to and from school.
He said that as the tricyclists commenced strike on Monday, he had to trek a far distance to get a commercial motorcycle to convey him to his school.
Abubakar urged government to do something urgent to resolve the issue as the strike would only throw the masses into hardship.
While some residents reverted to using commercial motorcycles, others patronised mini trucks for intracity movements.
Malam Ayuba Bashir, a resident, said that with the strike, people were left with no option than to patronise “okada” or mini trucks for movements within the city.
He urged the government and the tricyclists to dialogue to avert the hardship and its negative effects on business activities.
The Secretary, Kano State Transport Association’s Forum, Malam Ashiru Sallau, had already distanced the union from the strike.
“The union didn’t instruct its members to go on strike, some of our members resolved to take the decision, not under our umbrella.
“We sat down and discussed with the government when it introduced some measures regarding our operations.
“We asked the government to remove some of them to enable our members continue to earn their livelihood.
“It is in the process that some members decided to go on strike, and not with our mandate,” Sallau said.
The Managing Director, Kano State Road and Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Mr Baffa Babba-Dan’agundi, was reported to have said that the tricyclists had refused to pay government revenue.
“They went on strike because of the operational permit; government has reduced the cost from N100,000 to, as low as, N8,000, to enable them pay.
“Even though some of them have already paid, others don’t want to pay government revenue, and the law says they should pay.
Babba-Dan’agundi added that government wanted to number the tricycles to know the number of people riding them for security purposes.
“We are more concerned with the security, not just the revenue aspect,” he said.