Lagos, Jan 28, 2020 – Nigeria’s traffic-choked economic capital Lagos has announced sweeping bans on the motorbike taxis plying its perilous roads set to come in to force from next month. The state government has barred motorbike taxis and motorised rickshaws, known locally as okada and keke, from swathes of the city over what officials described as “scary figures” for fatal accidents in recent years. “Lagos State Government on Monday wielded the big stick against the menaceof commercial motorcycles and tricycles,” the authorities wrote on Twitter. The ubiquitous motorbike taxis and rickshaws are seen as a vital — ifsometimes hazardous — way for many Lagosians to negotiate the notorious “go-slow” traffic jams that clog the streets. Lagos authorities have previously sought to ban the two and three-wheelers from main roads and bridges but enforcement has often been lax.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 28, 2020 15:45 UTC