Volte-face:

K’ba bike riders reject SDO’s night ban

SDO's order banning circulation of bikes at night

The SDO for Meme, Chamberlin Ntou’ou Ndong, has placed a ban on the circulation of commercial motorbikes in Kumba, capital of Meme division from the hours of 11pm to 5am till further notice.

The ban is contained in Prefectoral order No. 5/2017 of July 4, 2017 signed by the SDO which The Median procured a copy with the subject “suspending the activities of commercial motorbike within Kumba between the hours of 11pm to 5am”.

                After siting eight different presidential decrees to beef up his orderd, the SDO’s prefectoral order indicated that considering the necessity of maintaining peace and order hereby ordered as follows “ That from the date of signature of this order (July 4), the activities of commercial motorbikes is suspended till further notice within Kumba municipality between the hours of 11pm to 5am from Mondays to Sundays.

                The same order states “That defaulters parading the town at the above stipulated period will face serious sanctions according to the rules and regulations in force” and adds instructs “That the Divisional Officers of Kumba I, II, III as well as Heads of Forces of Law and Order are each in their respective sphere charged with the strict implementation of this order and that the present orde shall be registered published and communicated in English and French wherever and whenever necessary”.

                This prefectoral order has been anmating topics of discussions amongst the city dwellers and bike riders with many insinuating it may give the SDO his first baptism of fire with the bike riders in the form of causing tthem to protest I the days ahead. When this reporter talked to close scores of bike rders all of them expressed their dissatisfaction and frustration to the SDO’s order. 

                According Arrey Nervile a commercial motor bike rider, “the SDO’s order is very controversial and we are not very happy with it. we mostly work at night because Kumba Taxi drivers don’t work at night and as such we cannot leave the population to suffer” adding that “majority of the population of kumba is alread used to Bikes and stopping its circulation at nght will cause the serious movement problem at night” he exlained.

                Another bike rider by name Neba John said “bikes have become part of the life of the people of kumba and they is no way you can stop them from circulating at night. If we don’t work at night who will carry business persons to motor parks when they want to travel or when they arrive at night. We won’t accept such order and we will resist it because this is the only way we get money to feed ourselves and our families” he revealed.

                Other observers of the situartion have started wagging their tongues towards the elemnets of the security saying the order will then give an avenue for the men in uniform made fas cash for themselves as they will catch and fine the poor bikres heavy money and the black market in the issue will therefore be the order of the day. Others belief with the low mentality of some of the bike riders they might in future in the ban persist resort to taking to the streets and engage in loothing and destructo of property.

                Whatever be the case, it should be noted that the SDO’s order comes in the wake of recent cases of bandit attcks on curches and private homes and as such might therefore intensify thye security of the peple and their property.