There are fears that millions of Nigerians will lose their jobs should the government of Nigeria go ahead with its plan to ban the use of motorcycles, commonly known as okada, and mining activities in the country.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had hinted that the ban, if imposed, would stem the rising insecurity across Africa’s most populous country.
According to the minister, motorcycles provide the means of transportation for terrorists while mining is their source of funds for the purchase of arms.
‘Placing a ban on the use of motorcycles and mining activities will cut the supply of logistics to the terrorists. This will be done in the national interest’, Malami said after a national security council meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja.
‘Above all, if you are talking of banning motorcycles, for example, I think the number of people using these motorcycles is not up to 20 percent of the Nigerian population.
‘So if that percentage is called to make a sacrifice that is all-pervading or affecting over 200 million Nigerians, I think that sacrifice is not too much and is worthy of being considered’.
However, a civil society organisation (CSO), ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), said that the 20 percent whom Malami referenced represents a significant segment of the country’s population.
‘Simply put, it means that one out of every five Nigerians will be directly affected by this ban, and this will further increase if you consider their family members, relatives and friends that may depend on them’, the CSO said in a statement.
‘Nigeria may find it hard to contain crime and criminality and tackle poverty if adequate alternatives are not implemented before the planned ban’.
Also, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) called on the government to isolate illegal miners and demobilise criminals from mining sites rather than placing a blanket ban on their activities.
Similarly, the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) said that a nationwide ban on the use of motorcycles would render about 40 million Nigerians jobless.
For the Nigeria Economic Security Agenda (NESA), it warned that Nigeria will lose N400 billion and 20 million jobs should the government go ahead to impose the ban.
A World Bank report has already noted that the number of poor persons in Nigeria will rise to 95.1 million in 2022. The number of poor people in the country was put at 89.0 million in 2020.
The high level of inflation, which stood at 18.6 percent as of June 2022, is another worry.
While placing a ban on the use of motorcycles and mining activities may cut the supply of logistics and source of funds for the purchase of arms to the terrorists, the federal government must avoid throwing the baby away with the bath water.
With millions of Nigerians at risk of being directly or indirectly affected, the Nigerian authorities need to find a policy balance that will ensure citizens do not lose their sources of income while the government tackles the country’s security challenges.
Photo source: Quartz Africa
