The Borno State Traffic Management Agency (BOTMA) said it has registered about 25,000 tricycles and employed 300 youths since its inception in 2020 to enhance traffic management and safer roads in the state.
This was disclosed by the General Manager of BOTMA, Baba Shehu Tijjani, in an interview with the Voice of Nigeria in Maiduguri.
The agency was created to tackle transportation management challenges that arose from the growing use of tricycles popularly referred to as Keke NAPEP after the restriction of motorcycles over security concerns in the state, Tijjani said.
He said the growing dependence on tricycles has necessitated the need for a reliable system of registration and identification of owners and operators.
“The increasing dependence on Keke NAPEP demands a proper system of registering and identifying owners and operators,” Tijjani said.
The agency, he said, registered about 25,000 tricycles in operation in Jere and Maiduguri Local Government Areas.
The registration database contains details of owners and operators, their residential areas and next of kin,” he said.
“The database has been useful in tracing lost property and supporting investigations into complaints and allegations involving tricycle operators,” Tijjani said.
“The database has been useful whether a passenger reports losing something inside a tricycle, or in cases involving allegations against operators,” he said.
He said the Borno State Government under Governor Babagana Umara Zulum further empowered the agency by approving the recruitment of 300 youths.
The recruits, he said, were trained in a police college before deployment and the government also handed over operational vehicles to make them more effective.
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“The recruitment has boosted our manpower and at the same time created jobs for our youths in the state,” he said.
Tijjani was hopeful that the security situation will continue to improve so that the government would be able to recruit more personnel and expand the operations of BOTMA to more local government areas.
The agency also generated revenue for the state and carried out regular media sensitization programs to educate residents on traffic regulations and responsible road use, he said.
BOTMA had faced initial resistance from some members of the public because they did not understand its mandate, the General Manager admitted.
“Initially, we had difficulties because people did not understand us but gradually the public started to understand our work and cooperate with us,” he underlined.
He said traffic offenders were fined and made to pay thru designated banks or the Borno State Board of Internal Revenue.
“Collaboration with Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, and Federal Road Safety Corps is key to the agency’s operations,” Tijjani said.
Legislative Support, Challenges
The general manager said interference by passengers during enforcement operations and attempts by some persons to use personal connections to evade traffic laws are major challenges.
“No person should use social status or connections as an excuse for breaking traffic laws,” he said.
Tijjani said that the Borno State House of Assembly Committee on Transportation had recently visited the agency and commended the agency’s work.
He said the committee committed to supporting BOTMA with higher funding in the proposed 2027 state budget.
Tijjani urged BOTMA personnel and members of the public to continue to cooperate with the agency, noting that compliance with traffic regulations was crucial for safer and more orderly roads in Borno State.
