The price of 3-wheeler taxis (Keke-Napep) in Maiduguri has risen by 50%, or 300,000 naira (US $785) since the Borno state government banned the import of 3-wheeler taxis (Keke-Napep) earlier this month.
There are 80,000 Keke-Napeps in the city of Maiduguri, according to a Keke-Napep trader, Mohammed Husaini. The state commissioner of transportation, Alhaji Abubakar Tijjani, says the ban is the result of the high number of Keke-Napeps in the city of Maiduguri. He added that no Keke-Napeps will be imported for one year.
Keke-Napeps are essential means of transport for hundreds of thousands of people every day in the city, but they clog roads and their two-stroke engines have high environmental and health costs.
The union leader of the Keke-Napep Owners and Riders’ Association was only informed as the ban came into force as part of the Borno Road Traffic Management Agency (BORTMA).
Speaking with RNI the Leader of the Association of Keke Napep Sellers in Maiduguri, Mohammed Husaini, told our reporter that there are now no new Keke-Napeps in the city, apart from those stored by the sellers. He went on to say that the ban on imports of Keke-Napeps has caused a sharp increase in the price of Keke-Napeps, from NGN 650,000 (US $1,700) before the ban to NGN 950, 000 (US $2,485) now.
