As government bans ‘Keke’ ticketing in the meantime BY GODWIN SAM

Prince Godwin Ntuk Udeh

There is an adage in Ibibio land which states that “Akpan minama nte aya-ana anwan ete, ete idoho annwan ino enye” literally meaning that “if the first son does not do as if  he wants to sleep with his stepmother, the father will not see the need to marry a wife for him”.  This adage applies directly to the situation that happened last week in Uyo, where tricycle operators in their quest to attract government’s attention to their plights, resorted to street protest, downing their tools for two days and stopping their counterparts from carrying out commercial activities in the state. 

 
The tricycle operators numbering hundreds took to the streets on Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st of January, 2014, to protest the multiple ticketing they are forced to buy daily to be able to operate within the Uyo metropolis. Investigation by THE INK revealed that to operate within the Uyo Metropolis, the tricycle operators have to buy tickets of N250 from each of the four local government areas making up Uyo metropolis, which sometimes amounts to N1000 in a day. 

 
One Keke Operator, Mr. Bassey Edet who is from Ibesikpo Asutan local government area revealed that if, he carries a passenger going to Nnung Oku from Uyo which is the government’s designated park for passengers going to Eket axis of the state, he has to buy ticket from Ibesikpo Asutan L.G Council. If he is to carry a passenger to Itam junction, which is still within Uyo capital City, he has to buy a ticket from Itu, L.G council, and if he by any chance has to drop a passenger after Atlantic FM along Nwaniba Road, he has to buy a ticket from Uruan l.G Council. These, he said excludes the one he has to buy from Ibom Plaza area sold by Uyo Local Government Council.

 
The tricycle operators also protested about having to buy emblem from more than one local government area which has made their operation to amount to suffering under Pontius Pilate, according to one of them, Mr Effiong Eke. Mr Effiong Eke also made a case about Itu local government council where there are two different tickets and two emblems “the taxes we are forced to pay are too much for us and we plead on the government to intervene for us”. 

 
 These pleas from the Keke Operators and the protest action finally caught the attention of the state government when the Commissioner for Transport, Prince Godwin Ntuk Udeh, in a Press Release, announced the stoppage of the sales of any form of ticket or emblem on behalf of the state government. The Keke Operators were therefore advised to ignore any form of ticket or emblem from the local governments and Unions involved until Tuesday 28th January, 2014 (today) when all issues relating to ticketing and other charges on tricycle will be resolved. This announcement obviously thrilled the Keke operators who have since returned to their normal business relishing in the temporary leeway given them by the state government. This demonstrates that it pays to speak out when oppressed instead of suffering in silence.