Hundreds of youths in Mubi, Adamawa State, are now going into commercial motorcycling to beat the unemployment scourge, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has observed.
The transportation trade, locally called `achaba’, is increasingly becoming popular among the jobless youngsters in the area in spite of the high rate of accident and other risks associated with it.
According to a NAN survey in Mubi, most of the motorcyclists are graduates and high school dropouts who took to the trade?? after being idle for many years.
The investigation showed that the motorcyclists are making brisk business due to the absence of taxis and city bus services in the area.
The high patronage of commercial motorcycles is also attracting youths from Michika, Gombi, Maiha, Garkida and Hong Local Government Areas of the state, resulting in an increasing number of commercial motorcycle operators plying the roads in Mubi.
Mahmud Dauda, a commercial motorcyclist, said he joined the trade in the last one year and was earning `good’? income from it, raking in about N1,500 a day and paying N750 as rental fee to the owner of the bike.
Another cyclist , Usman Haruna, who is also a teacher, described the trade as lucrative, explaining? that he joined the trade so that he could take care of his family.
“I usually go (commercial cycling) after my official working hours. At present, because of the six-week long NLC strike, I am totally dependent on it to earn my living,’’ Haruna added.
NAN learnt, however, that the cyclists often fall prey to attacks by motorcycle snatchers in the area, as a result of which some of them have lost their lives.
On their part, the authorities and residents accuse the cyclists of contributing to the high road traffic accident rate through their reckless driving.
Commenting on the situation, the FRSC Unit Commander, Mr Yauba Duhu, described the activities of the motorcycle operators as “disturbing’’.
Duhu said the command had embarked on a massive campaign to encourage the use of helmets and educate the cyclists on traffic regulations, “the activities of the commercial motorcyclists constitute a public nuisance and a threat to the wellbeing of motorists and other road users.”