Getting ‘Tokunbo’ Off the Road in Nigeria

A ban upon the importation of used tyres is already mooted for Nigeria, and one of the country’s six regional governments has announced it plans to go one step further. The Gwagwalada Area Council Unit Command of Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Commission, said on October 13 it would prohibit the use of worn and second hand tyres, especially by commercial vehicles.

On making this decision public the unit commander, J.K Adamu, said seventy per cent of commercial vehicles plying Nigeria’s highways are still using second hand tyres. He added that the command has been making an effort in collaboration with members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NUTRW) in various regions, explaining the dangers in the use of second hand and worn-out tyres by drivers.

“In fact, we have been making efforts by collaborating with members of the NUTRW to ensure that any vehicle that has worn-out or “tokunbo” tyres should not be allowed to carry passengers,” Adamu said. The unit commander further observed that most of the accidents that occur on the highways were mostly caused by “tokunbo” tyres – a common Nigerian name for imported used tyres – and that most of these imported tyres are aged.