By Bose Adebayo

The introduction of the tricycle popularly called Keke Marwa in Nigeria served the dual purpose of boosting transportation and creating employment opportunities for millions of otherwise unemployed individuals in the country. In Lagos State, the Keke Marwa or Keke NAPEP was incorporated into the government -promoted  mass transit programme geared towards tackling the growing challenges in the  transportation sector.

Many commuters have since then come to embrace this means of transportation, which they regard as an improvement on the commercial motorcycles commonly known in local parlance as Okada. This preference they anchor on the fact that unlike the Okada, it provides some form of protective cover from sun and rain.

Keke Marwa operators waiting for passengers

The growing use of the Keke Marwa since its introduction has led to the birth of the Three Wheelers Association of Nigeria. Four years ago, some leaders of this Association took some steps to have it affiliated to the National Union of Road Transport Workers NURTW for effective operation in the state.

However, the step which was meant to provide succour in all ramifications has more or less triggered off a kind of war in some motor parks. The situation is being orchestrated by hired thugs and other undesirable elements who have been trying to forcibly take over Keke Marwa parks in the state and bring them under the control of the NURTW.

For instance, within the last few months, some of the motor parks have witnessed a lot of clashes involving these thugs and some members of the Three Wheelers Association as a result of which many commuters sustained varying degrees of injuries while property worth thousands of Naira were destroyed.

One of such clashes recently took place at the Okota/Ejigbo parks when an army of street urchins invaded these places. Claiming to have been sent by some leaders of the NURTW who wanted the parks under their control, they were said to have brandished different dangerous weapons which they freely used to intimidate those who tried to stop them. Not surprisingly, the unfortunate development has since crippled commercial activities in the parks.

Consequently, many commuters have been experiencing difficulties in securing the services of Keke Marwa operators to take them to their various destinations, especially in the evenings as the street urchins usually prevent operation of Keke Marwa in these areas.

When Vanguard Metro visited some of these parks recently, it was found that most of them have been taken over by street urchins, with commuters often running helter skelter for safety due to the now frequent attacks by armed thugs in their bid to stop the three wheeler operators from doing business. This situation usually leads to the operators abandoning their  tricycles for fear of being harmed by these hoodlums.

Some of the street urchins who spoke with Vanguard metro said although the Three Wheelers Association and NURTW are presently locked in a legal battle over the matter at the Federal High Court, Ikeja, some NURTW leaders have sent them to possess the parks before the judgment day expected to be sometime in October 2010. “Go and ask Olu Omo of Cele; na him send us to come and work here. Even Police no fit disturb us here, you hear,” said one of them who simply gave his name as Pakoto.

One of the methods adopted by the street urchins was to force each tricycle operator to buy a ticket worth N650 on daily basis before being allowed to carry out any operation in these parks.

The Caretaker Chairman of the Three Wheelers Association in the area, Mr. Adeniyi Adelekan said his association has reported the case at Okota Police station. According to him,  the Divisional Police Officer has tried to wade into the crisis without luck as the street urchins have refused to heed to his pleas to vacate the parks. “About 30 units are under Okota/Ejigbo branch which the street urchins plan to take over. The DPO has asked them to stop coming to the parks but they said he has no power to stop them,”  he said.

When Vanguard Metro visited the Cele branch of the NURTW, some of the executive members refused to comment on the issue , chorusing: “We don’t know what you are talking about”. However, some commuters at Isolo urged the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Marvel Akpoyibo to wade into the crisis. “Are the street urchins above the law? A lot of people have been wounded as a result of this crisis and many of us are always stranded each time it happens. The Commissioner of Police should do something about this,” said Madam Ishmail Kuburat and Olumide Adeleye.

Kazim Akinrinola who has been a victim of the crisis said it usually leads to bloodshed. “I have witnessed it on a number of occasions. There was a day the street urchins ran after our Marwa operator and in the process the Keke fell into a guatter; the three passengers in the Keke were wounded and taken to a hospital at Ejigbo,” he said.
When Latifu Nasiru popularly called Oluomo Cele was contacted on phone, he declined to comment on the issue. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said.