LAGOSIANS AND THE WALK TO FITNESS.

I am sure when you saw this topic you either smiled, laughed or got angry. If you got angry, ”no vex” and if you smiled or laughed, well… nothing to say. You may be wondering what this topic is about or you already know, don’t worry we are all thinking about it; it’s trending, it is a cause for concern to Lagosians, it is THE BAN ON KEKE AND BIKES”. 

Thinking about it, it brings laughter to my face and pain to my heart. Laughter when I think about the funny memes and images of Lagosians trekking and pain when I think of all those that have lost their jobs, the businesses that had to shut down and how this regulation can affect our workplace productivity. In this post we will be talking about everything, my thoughts; what the humans of DNJ think, how to enjoy our ”by force” journey to ‘fitfam’  and how to prevent it from affecting our health and productivity at work. Now let’s ”trek” into our subtopics ..lol

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS FORCED WALK OF PAIN.

I will begin with my experience of what I went through due to this ban. Surulere in Lagos is a place where most movements are done with keke for easy access due to the type of ”Apiam way” it has everywhere. Different roads lead to different places in Surulere.  I had to do a couple of things over the weekend and the fastest movement for me was Keke but imagine my anger when I remembered there were no more keke! Dear readers, this daughter of Zion trekked under the hot sun like no man’s business. At some point, I had to look for a place to sit and the only place i could find was among ”agberos”. On a normal day, I would be scared to sit in such environment but at that moment, nothing mattered because ”I don trek the fear comot, sun don beat fear comot” and guess what? Even with bus, I spent over 2 hours in traffic. It was hell!

Now, this is me, an adult on a weekend. Imagine a weekday, with Lagosians going to work and children going to school… Lagos is a busy city, people are here and there, different activities going on and all these require a steady means of transportation and the one and fast means of transportation is either Okada or Keke Napep.  Transportation is one important part of an economy and a means of transportation being cut down in a place like Lagos is not the best at this moment. That is not the issue, imagine the people that have lost their means of survival, the businesses that have had to close down, School children that had to ride with the type of bus used in parking animals( A woman that was interviewed said she saw this)Imagine the risk.

It is a pity that measures were not put in place to avoid all these hence the lack of proactive thinking on the part of our government. I hope they reconsider this law and do the needful because this ”Long walk to freedom” nobody plan am. This goes to show that no business is safe in this country because the government may roll out a policy that won’t be favorable to a business and that is the end of that business. Take for example GOKADA, MAX and OPAY, the funds invested in them, their workers and everything concerning them has been truncated which is terrible for an economy that is trying to grow.

What message is being passed across to potential investors? We understand that some of these drivers do not obey driving rules and regulations but why punish thousands of people over a few? Why not create regulatory laws to guide them and make sure they are enforced? These and more are my thoughts on this matter. Let us see what some Lagosians views are on the issue.

WHAT SOME LAGOSIANS THINK ABOUT THE BAN.

So I moved around to ask what people think, how many miles of trekking they’ve covered and how fit they are *wink*.

RAFIAT : ”It has made me suffer a lot. I don’t know what Lagos state government wants to achieve but it has put Lagosians in trouble. Danfo bus drivers now taking advantage of the situation and making people suffer. They should return the MARWA. Drivers have refused to go short trips telling the passengers to take keke, that is their way of saying its good they’ve been banned. This ban has also brought about increase in fares”.

LORETTA : “To me, it has been a bitter struggle roaming about without keke and bike. They are life savers but since our Governor said they were banned to reduce traffic, I think we should give him a trial and see”.

OMORINSOLA : ”I think the banning of bike is the best thing that has happened to Lagosians because it will reduce a lot of casualties in Lagos. For keke, a time frame should be given to them although; banning bike and keke has reduced traffic”.

FATIMAH : ”There are two sides to it. For people that are mobile its a good thing because the road is saner but for people that are not mobile, they are the ones suffering it. In fact it is punishment because we are at the mercy of bus drivers. When I get to my bus stop, 2 mins max i get keke but now it takes longer and the fares are increased. Also, tricycles are better because its easy to get in and get out and no fear of fumes from anywhere that may affect one’s health. WORD TO GOVERNMENT: Cars should be provided to every one immobile to ease stress(just for laughs). They should provide alternatives”.

TESLIM : ”Keke causes nuisance a lot on the road but on the other hand its affecting people’s means of transportation because some parts are difficult to get cab. It is also a source of income for most youths so putting a ban is detrimental to the society because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.

SENNO: There is supposed to be a backup provision so as to ease the stress for people. It is inconvenient especially those that have houses far from the road. It is causing bloodshed because of the riots happening in various places. People feed from the keke or bike driving and have no time to think of crimes but with the ban, crime rates will increase. At the same time, it is a good policy if only there would be a provision for alternatives because tricycles and bikes have caused a lot of accidents. So I would advice the government to produce a reasonable backup plan”.

JACINTA: “It is a good thing because if you go to the hospital to check the percentage of accidents bikes and keke have caused, it is up to 90%. Also, the ban is so that government can bring out their own alternative to know those fit to work with them when they roll out their options instead of giving incapable hands that are causing riots here and there. Also, because of time , people tend to use bikes because it is faster so the ban has made movement a bit difficult and slow. Most people have now come out with their cars because of the ban which has caused more traffic. Finally because of how Lagos is, people do not know the importance of exercise so this will help Lagosians exercise more”.

My people, you have seen various opinions about this and what I can say is the ban doesn’t favor a lot of people but as we most people say ”wetin man go do”. I trust my fellow Lagosians to quickly adapt to any situation so while our Government have decided to keep us fit with the trekking exercise, I have decided to drop tips to help us enjoy this exercise.

1. Wear comfortable shoes.
2. Wear light clothing. The heat is too much so if you don’t want to have the most uncomfortable trekking experience, pick your outfits wisely.
3. Drink a lot of water. If you need to get a bottle, by all means do so. Stay hydrated.
4. Get a face cap and shades to protect you from the sun.
5. Music, Music and More music! Shout out to boom play for creating a playlist called ”LAGOS TREK” Music will make you forget you’re trekking. It works for me, it could work for you. Download the boom play app if you don’t have it on your phone and trek away…lol
7.                          
8. If you can, get a trek partner that you can gist with on the way. It helps too.
9. Get deodorants and perfumes because you don’t want to finish trekking and get to where you are going smelling all sweaty. We need to smell nice at all times no matter what.
10. 
11. Finally, see it as an exercise. Just see it as ”The government is helping me stay fit” especially if you do not exercise regularly.

In conclusion, we can see that this ban will do more harm than good if it hasn’t even started with the riots here and there. I heard Lagosians have started bringing new ideas with O’horse, O’broom and O’trek.

It is beautiful how Lagosians always find a way to crack jokes in the midst of serious issues. It is commendable lol. Although, the government have started rolling out their alternatives with the big bus and the boats, let us hope for the best in EKO. So we only hope that either the ban is lifted and regulatory policies are made or they bring more means to cater the the thousands of Lagosians but until then…

Happy trekking and remember…Waka jeje. 

If you loved this article, do not forget to share your comments, invite other people to read and also let us know what topics you want us to talk about. From your trusted real estate company…Stay fit.