Badamasi Aliyu Abdullahi
An average tricycle driver makes an average of about 3,000 naira every single commercial day. According to statistics, there are about 200,000 tricycles moving around in the busy streets of Kano daily. This means, it’s an industry of itself as it generates about 600 million naira which is close to 1 billion naira every single day to the economy of Kano state. The industry provide jobs to 200,000 unemployed people and also provide a part-time job to 50,000 youths who rely on others who work half day.
Every single day, these 200,000 tricycles consumes petrol of not less than 1000 naira each which is about 20 million naira paid paid daily to the filling stations in Kano. This means, they supplement a substantially amount of revenue generated by filling stations on a a daily basis.
Also, about 5,000 of these tricycles visit tricycle mechanics for the repair of their tricycles, services and maintenance. The tricycle repair and maintenance is a sub of the mechanic industry which is a byproduct of the influx of tricycles immediately after the ban of motorcycles riders (Okada). Each of these 5000 tricycles pay an average of 1000 to the mechanis which makes about 500,000.
Again, about 300 of these tricycle drivers visits vulcanizers every single day to solve their puncture and other problems associated with the tyre. Additionally, about 200 of these tricycles visits spare parts dealers apart from hundreds of them that patronizes car wash services for cleaning of their tricycles.
The multiplier effect of the tricycle industry is apparently huge. Transportation system is one key enabler of business activities in every economy and the tricycle constitute about 80% of Kano public transportation system.
Therefore, these tricycle drivers aren’t people that the government should discard with the wave of a hand or refuse to listen to. This will mean that the government has no idea about the role these category of people play in the development of Kano’ economy.
If you sit down and calculate the amount of money lost just yesterday as a result of the strike embarked by the Kano tricycle drivers, you will be surprised. The lost is more than 1 billion naira. And what if you add to the failure of many workers, students, traders and business people to get to their workplace, schools, markets and business premises.
The government should do the needful and engage with the relevant stakeholders to bring an end to this strike. The more these people are left to continue with this strike, the more threats the economy and security situation of Kano State face.
Badamasi Aliyu Abdullahi is an economic expert and analyst based in Kano
