The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and many states’ move to outlaw commercial motorcycles has angered the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Last Monday, the FCTA torched 470 motorcycles that had been seized. It stated that it is thinking about detaining motorcyclists and their companions.
According to the authorities, the bikers were operating in forbidden zones.
Speaking at a gathering with the leadership of the Motorcycle Operators Union of Nigeria (MOUN) over the weekend, Joe Ajaero, president of the NLC, claimed that by outlawing the operations of motorcycle riders, or “Okada,” governments everywhere around the nation have shown a lack of concern for the welfare of their constituents.
MOUN aspires to join the labor union movement.
“The idea of banning motorcyclists is an indication of the clear insensitivity of government authorities, who are always prejudicial whenever theft cases are executed to mean cyclists are the ones,” Ajaero said.
“If you allege that they are the ones and you ban them when they are not, who then is wrong? Again, what provision have you made for them?
“The government has refused to provide jobs for these category of people. How can they survive with their families?
“When vehicles engage in accidents and or being used by armed robbers, will this make the government ban vehicles? The answer is absolute no.”
The president of MOUN, Julius Bobi, stated that his organization has registered as a trade union with the federal ministry of labor and employment.
Bobi described the ban as “throwing away the baby with the bath water”.