Traders under the aegis of the South East Amalgamated Markets Traders Association (SEAMATA) have urged the Federal Government to jettison total ban on motorcycles considering its serious negative socio-economic consequences.
They appealed to the Federal Government, through the National Security Council, to drop the proposed blanket ban (total ban) on motorcycles nationwide but use intelligence to spot light and identify areas where the ban had become imperative.
This is contained in a statement issued by SEAMATA President-General, Chief Gozie Akudolu, and outside its Secretary-General, Mr Alex Okwudili, in Enugu.
The statement stated that the attention of the association had been drawn to the proposal by the National Security Council to consider a total ban on motorcycles throughout the federation.
It said that according to the Council, ‘criminals and bandits were using motorcycles for their nefarious activities’.
The association expressed shock that the nation’s highest security organ could make this statement, adding that SEAMATA considers the statement rudderless and amounts to, ‘throwing the baby away with the bath water’.
“We wish to draw the National Security Council’s attention to the implications and dire consequences which this most unpopular proposal portends for the nation.
“The Council did not consider that there are hundreds of motorcycle manufacturing industries across the federation with hundreds of thousands of youths in their direct employment and other thousands in ancillary and indirect employment.
“This ban proposal means not only the folding up of these industries, with its adverse implications on the economy of the federation, but also sending hundreds of thousands of youths in their employments into the highly over-saturated Nigerian labour market.
“This will surely create a viable recruitment ground for bandits and criminals and in turn, escalate the security challenges of the nation.
“There are other industries that produce motorcycle components, especially the rubber and plastic parts, shall as well fold up and sack all their employees, who shall in turn, add to the serious  challenges of insecurity to the nation.
“The distribution chain of this industry, ranging from the dealers in motorcycles, others in motorcycle spare parts, more in artisans like mechanics and vulcanizers and many more as apprentices, all in their millions are those whose businesses are put on the line. They will likely be potential criminals and bandits being uploaded”, they said.
Noting that motorcycles used for positive purposes far outnumbers that used in perpetrating banditry and criminality, they stated that it would sound illogical to ban motorcycle nationwide in order to get fight against insecurity, terrorism, banditry and criminality right.

By: Canice Amadi, Enugu