Tricycle - Your life in their hands...

Okay, I think its time for me to talk about the popular death trap on our roads.

Before I start, I must state categorically that I have nothing against anyone who owns, drives or boards a tricycle popularly referred to as Keke Napep. It is actually a great youth empowerment program, and should be applauded.

However I have witnessed several road accidents and heard of numerous deaths occasioned by the reckless operators of the Keke. A friend got a broken hand and I just witnessed a lady being lifted from underneath a keke that rammed into a vehicle!

What happened to the Law restricting Keke from plying major roads in the FCT? What happened to the mechanisms that were put in place to regulate Keke and Okada operations in the Territory? Is there no age limit to driving a keke that any kid can now wake up and jump into the road with one? They are worse than Okada riders!

They lack the basic training needed for maneuvering or driving a vehicle on the road. Most of them drink concoctions, get high, drive without a drivers license and Innocent Nigerians who cannot afford cabs board these death traps only to end up losing a limb or in extreme cases; their lives. Enough is indeed enough!

I am not saying Keke Napep should be banned. No! This is rather a wake up call to all the Vehicle and Road inspection agencies in the FCT and Nigeria as a whole. People and organizations who have the duty to check and control drivers, vehicles and road users should sit up to their responsibilities. These drivers lack the basic driving skills and should be made to undergo a mandatory training which can be set up by the government at a subsidized rate or even free.

We need to save the masses and Nigeria from a future filled with limbless citizens. We can make our roads safe again!