FEATURED: An Open Letter To Kwara State Governor On Transportation

The record of your performances within the length of two years in Kwara State has thrown your supporters, the party men, and women, stakeholders as well as Kwarans both within and outside the state into the mood of joy to an extent that, the mouth can not close.

The lined-up achievements which gave birth to the new Kwara and State of our own are a symbol of a good leader and a government of all.

My pen and action stiffed because I didn't know where to start my encomium and accolades when I read your indefatigable and incomparable achievements on every sector of the economy in the state through the JUST EVENT ONLINE PUBLICATION platform.

Your Excellency sir, I think it's high time for you to dim your touch light on the activities of commercial transporters and the transportation sector in the state if we truly need to sustain the peaceful coexistence of the state is paramount.

As well all know that transportation has been a means of people or good's movement from one particular place to another.

Presently in Kwara State, there are four domestic means of commercial transportation namely Taxi, Bus(turo) motorcycle and finally, tricycle and my focus and concern is on ungovernable activities of tricyclists in the state

Although without being bias, the Taxi and Bus operators in the state sometimes dam into crisis whenever their association holds elections but their nonentity behaviors will escalate to the public.

Also, the motorcycle (OKADA) in early 2000 takes the center stage of transportation in Kwara State as many artisans as a means of augmenting and some have abandoned their hard sweat work because it provides them daily money and serves as survival means.

Some civil servants also use it as second means of catering to their needs after they signed out of their daily work.

Some of them according to my observation doesn't ferment trouble because of their leadership policy and the fear of government disbandment.

Tricycle which also sees as means of domestic transportation came into existence during the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo when he held the programmed Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP). The tricycle was given to some youths across the country at the occasion as empowerment and Kwara youths were not left out.

And since then till now, many states government, National Assembly members, council chairman, NGO as well as notable and well-meaning individuals across Nigeria sees tricycle as a means of empowerment and ways to eradicate poverty.

Nobody has ever kicked against it in Kwara state until the recent time when some tricycle operators begin violating the peaceful coexistence through bad behavior whose their senior (Taxi, Bus, and Motorcycle) had never displayed 

Glancing to how Tricycle becomes problem creator instead of being a problem-solving. I learned some states have started banning their operation due to security challenges, and many of these people have nowhere to go other than Kwara, they came around to do their usual business, nobody can dispute that Kwara is still a state of harmony as it were before now because of the activities of this operators.

Just weeks back, one of the leading political Organizations in Kwara honored First Female Tricycle Operator In Ilorin,  Solid Risikat with "The Hero of the Month Award" for the recognition of her passion and commitment towards transportation. 

Tricycle has been part of many means of movement, from my house to office, and runs errands but we should continue asking ourselves these questions.

Does tricycle operators different from humans?

Did they have immunity? 

Does the tax government collected from them give them the audacity to hunt the populace? 

These and many questions pave way for my pen to write this piece and send it to Mr. Governor via the means I believe Mr. Governor will have access to see it 

If truly you care for the lives and properties of your citizens, sir make a move to curb the rising of bad attitude among the transporters especially the tricycle operators.

Many families have lost their lives, some displayed, kidnapped through their operation.

Some family men are using tricycle operations as their legitimate means of surviving but miscreants have hijacked it.

God Bless Kwara 

I am Aiyelabegan AbdulRasaq Babatunde writes from Agbaji Ilorin