A frontline Civil Rights Advocacy group- HUMAN RIGHTS
WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has described the restrictions to just
few places the operation of commercial motorcyclists also known as KEKE-NAPEP
by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory Alhaji Bello Mohammed as
insensitive, not well thought out, irresponsible and ELITIST even as the
Rights group has expressed shock that such a major policy that will inflict
pain and penury on hundreds of thousands of Nigerians doing legitimate
businesses in the nation's capital was adopted without first and foremost
implementing a workable remedial action to mitigate the untold hardship.
HURIWA which admitted that the policy may have been
informed by the need to sanitize the transportation system and create a the
atmosphere of unimpeded flow of public transportation in the Federal Capital
Territory but the group noted that the commercial operators of KEKE-NAPEP and
the residents of the FCT most of whom make use of public transportation
services provided by these commercial motorcyclists were never carried along
just as the policy was rolled out with adequate remedial provisions for
cushioning the adverse consequences of the hastily delivered policy.
HURIWA stated that Since the past three weeks or so that
this draconian policy was enforced there is clear evidence that the Federal
Capital Territory Chief of administration who is a cabinet level minister in
the Executive Council of the Federation Alhaji Bello Mohammed never made fool proof
plan-B to ensure that those who would be affected adversely by the policy are
provided with alternatives to cushion the pains of the thoughtless
policy.
The Rights group said the way and manner The policy was
introduced and is currently being implemented leaves much to be desired because
if the government plans to ameliorate traffic challenges but ends up inflicting
horrendous economic harm and physical and mental torture in a grand scale
on the populace, the government needs to quickly intervene and bring about an
immediate remedy to mitigate this unwarranted hardships that the people are
made to go through due to no fault of theirs.
HURIWA in the media statement by the National
Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director
Miss Zainab Yusuf canvassed the actual and practical introduction of
alternative transportation system that would replace the equally chaotic
KEKE-NAPEP because as it is the passengers made up largely of civil servants
and the urban poor who contribute majorly to the sustenance of both the formal
and informal economic sectors of the Federal Capital Territory are now going
through hell and torments just to make ends meet in the capital city that they
all helped to build.
HURIWA said the prevailing culture of torturing
commoners in Abuja as if they created themselves poor by the 'way-ward'
enforcement of a transportation policy that is at best elitist is against
several chapters of the 1999 Constitution including the Almighty chapter four
which includes such rights as Right to life, right to freedom of movement and
association which are universal human rights laws that the Nigerian state is
obliged by law to observe, promote and protect.
"The policy is also discriminatory because it is
targeted at a group of poor urban dwellers even as the Rights group said the
policy infringes on the section 42 of the Constitution which states thus: “(1)
A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin,
sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a
person:- (a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application
of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of
the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of
other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political
opinions are not made subject; or (b) be accorded either expressly by, or in
the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive
or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to
citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex,
religions or political opinions. (2) No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected
to any disability or deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of his
birth. (3) Nothing in subsection (1) of this section shall invalidate any law
by reason only that the law imposes restrictions with respect to the
appointment of any person to any office under the State or as a member of the
armed forces of the Federation or member of the Nigeria Police Forces or to an
office in the service of a body, corporate established directly by any law in
force in Nigeria.”
"HURIWA can confirm that many commuters are now
forced to trek over long distances to get to their workplaces or wait for many
hours to catch a taxi. Most Keke-NAPEP operators got to know of the ban when
they came out to start their daily work, only to be chased around by policemen.
Many had their Keke’s impounded which is a state sponsored robbery that offends
the relevant section of the Constitution that guarantees freedom to own
property as enshrined in section 43 of the constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria of 1999 (as amended) which unambiguously provides thus:
“Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, every citizen of Nigeria shall
have the right to acquire and own (moveable) immovable property anywhere in
Nigeria.”
"HURIWA has observed that the FCT Ministerial Task
Team on Free Flow of Traffic joined forces with the Directorate of Road Traffic
Services [DRTS] to enforce the ban on tricycles operating along Abuja’s major
highways. HURIWA understands that the Chairman of the Task Team Comrade Ikharo
Attah, who led his team to join the DRTS’ sensitization campaign, said full
enforcement would not only restore sanity to the federal capital but would help
in the fight against traffic gridlock. The Ministerial Task Team, drawn from
various law enforcement agencies and civil society organizations, was
inaugurated over two months ago by FCT Minister Muhammad Musa Bello."
"HURIWA recalled that the FCT minister charged the
task team to among other things, rid the roads of hawkers and allow free flow
of traffic just as the committee's Chairman Attah said the order was not
designed to unleash hardship on tricycle operators and residents but was in
line with the FCT’s transportation master plan, which stipulates that all means
of transportation must be regulated and controlled and stated further that the
ministerial order was meant to enhance the safety of the operators as well as
that of the passengers because Keke-NAPEPs will no longer be allowed to move on
highways."
HURIWA however said in as much as it has taken special
notice that the ministerial task team has been going about their job
prescriptions in line with the mandate handed to them by the FCT minister, but
the Rights group wondered why government will unleash hardship on the people
who are the real owners of the sovereignty of Nigeria and who have donated the
legitimacy to government officials to exercise authority for public good
responsibly.
No comments:
Post a Comment