At rush hour the densely packed traffic of Lagos should be buzzing with okadas, the motorcycle taxis that weave through the heaving streets, bearing passengers clinging on for dear life, hoping to beat the notorious jams.
But last month authorities banned the motorbikes, thought to cause almost 50% of all traffic accidents in Nigeria’s most populous city, throwing thousands of people out of work. Among them is Fatai Ogunbanwo, who sits idly beside a provision store in Somolu, one of the 10 districts hit by the ban, his okada nowhere in sight.
