BANNING OKADA OR NOT----- BY PATIENCE OGBO
More than five million Nigerians will be jobless if the Lagos state government carries out its purported plan to ban commercial motorcycle riders popularly known as okada in the state.

This was revealed by Mr. Tijani Perkis, the chairman of the Motorcycle Owners Association of Lagos State (MOALS) at a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday.

The press conference which was attended by members of the motorcycle riders, State Security Service (SSS) and officers of the transport ministry in Lagos state was a forum for all the stake holders to proffer solutions to the mirage of problems involved in commercial motorcycle operations in Lagos state.

Mr. Perkis stated that commercial motorcycle is a means of transportation that should be properly recognized and sanitized by the government.

“Commercial motorcycle operations evolved as a child of necessity due to the unbearable level of unemployment in the country. From the mid 80s, okada business provided answers by becoming the source of income of over five million Nigerians, also okada came to the rescue of artisan graduates WHO have NO INCOME TO ESTABLISH A WORKSHOP,

Also during the economic recession and it attendant retrenchment, okada also came to the rescue of the teeming unemployed” Mr. Perkis said.

Mr. Perkis blames the poor state of the roads in the country, and the perennial traffic gridlock in Lagos state for the upsurge in residents’ need to patronize commercial motorcycle as a means of transportation

“Before it is “heavy hold –up”, now it is complete stand still on our roads; many man hours are lost in such traffic ,lives are lost and people resorted to using okada to ease their plight on the road”Mr. Perkis said .

In proffering solutions to the challenges in commercial motorcycle operation in the state, the stakeholders call on the government to enforce stricter penalties on traffic defaulters.

“there should be a total ban on all unrecognized okada associations in Lagos as too many mushroom associations are springing up and they are the ones causing problems. Also there should be the introduction of uniform reflectors in the name of the unions, stricter enforcement of riders card and the inculcation of training ,

the compulsory registration of every riders into parks or unit for easy identification; we submit that it is no solution to throw away the baby with the bath water as this will result to unemployment and upsurge in crime in the state. As a result, we are ready to work with the government to ensure that okada operations become safe for all but if the government insist on banning okada, then they should be ready to provide an alternatives for the riders ” Mr. Perkis said.

Reacting to the purported ban in commercial motorcycle operation in the state, Remi Thomas, the Director of Transport and Operations in the Lagos state ministry of Transportation said government is ready to work with commercial motorcycle riders through a joint task force.

“The government has held series of meetings with the okada riders and our aim is to make okada operations safe for all, we will support you if you obey the law.”Mr. Thomas said.

In order to curb the menace of commercial motorcycle riders in the state, the Lagos state government last week began a clamp down on motorcycle riders plying the high way, with over 1000 defaulters arrested.

Also governor Babtubde Raji Fashola recently arrested five commercial motorcycle riders for operating riding against traffic on the one way route.

The governor blames commercial motorcycle riders for the upsurge in crime in the state and the frequent accidents on the highway and as a way to check okada menace, the governor also reconstituted a security committee to curb the recklessness of the okada riders in the state.
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