Nigeria bans motorbike taxis from traffic-clogged city

NIGERIA’S commercial capital Lagos said yesterday it would ban motorcycle taxis from operating in most of the traffic-clogged city, removing a popular mode of transport for residents.

Lagos state governor Babajide SanwoOlu said the ban, the second in just over two years, would come into force from June, adding that the motorbikes that offer taxi services, known locally as Okadas, were unsafe. It was not immediately clear if the ban, which does not include delivery motorcycles, would include ride-hailing start-ups such as Oride, Gokada and Max.ng, which have sought to capitalise on the city’s teeming population of just over 20 million people to expand their businesses.

Traffic jams are part of daily life in Lagos, where many residents use motorcycles to criss-cross between the traffic, but with little regard for road and safety rules.

“Lives are being lost on a daily basis, preventable accidents are happening every day and the riders are not respecting any of our traffic laws. This ban has come to stay and we will not tolerate any weakness in enforcement,”

Sanwo-Olu said. A similar restriction imposed in February 2020 fizzled out because of a lack of enforcement.

Motorcycle taxis will be banned from 40 bridges and flyovers and areas covering the business districts of Victoria Island and Lagos Island, Apapa, where the primary port is located, and Ikeja, which is home to the international airport.