By Estelle Shirbon
Abuja - A ban on motorcycle taxis from the streets of the Nigerian capital has brought new misery to poor residents already struggling with power cuts, erratic water supplies and a government campaign of house demolitions.
Motorcycle taxis, known here as okada, are the cheapest form of transport but authorities in the Federal Capital Territory have banned them from Abuja, citing dangerous driving.
Most okada drivers are untrained young men who are often seen swerving across busy streets without giving any warning or driving down the wrong side of the road to avoid traffic.
The motorbikes are cheap Chinese models designed to carry two people, but it is common to see three or four people riding on the same one. Nigerians carry everything on okada, from live goats to furniture and coffins - albeit empty ones.
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Since the ban came into force on October 1, commuters travelling on minibuses from the poorer outskirts to jobs in the city centre have had no choice but to walk from the minibus drop-off points to their workplaces, in some cases miles away.
"Let them bring other transport before banning okada. Look at us! We are suffering. Everywhere we are trekking, trekking, trekking," said Muhammad Sagir, a civil servant whose commute is an hour longer because of the ban.
Abuja is a purpose-built capital, designed by American planners in the 1970s. Like many United States cities, it has sprawling neighbourhoods that are easy to get around by car, but with the okada gone the only means of public transport are taxis which are up to 10 times more expensive.
Samuel Solomon has been hit particularly hard by the ban, which came a week after authorities razed his neighbourhood. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been demolished since 2003 in a government campaign to destroy "illegal settlements".
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