Middle East & Africa | War on wheels

A ban on motorcycle taxis is causing chaos in Lagos

It was supposed to ease gridlock, but made it worse

Angry rider
|LAGOS

ON A BUSY street in Lagos, Nigeria’s business centre, the usual horde of motorbike-taxis jolting passengers through evening gridlock is palpably absent. The men who used to ride them sit idly. “How do we feed our families?” asks Stanley, a former rider.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Two wheels bad, four wheels better”

The politics of pandemics

From the March 14th 2020 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Middle East & Africa

Israeli-Palestinian-conflict-January-19

The start of a fragile truce in Gaza offers relief and joy

But the ceasefire is not yet the end of the war

Bottles of Pedro's premium Ogogoro

West African booze is becoming a luxury product

Female entrepreneurs are leading the charge


A Palestinian inspects the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Al-Maghazi in Gaza

First, the ceasefire. Next the Trump effect could upend the Middle East

Will Israel and Donald Trump use the threat of annexation to secure a new grand bargain?


After 15 months of hell, Israel and Hamas sign a ceasefire deal

Donald Trump provided the X factor by putting heat on Binyamin Netanyahu, who insists the war isn’t over yet

A hidden refuge in Sudan that the internet, banks—and war—can’t reach

A visit to the Nuba mountains provides a glimpse into the future of the country

Violent jihadists are getting frustrated by the new Syria

Tipsy dancers, Christmas decorations, Shias and women’s rights are in the crosshairs