By Demi Adeniyi
Stakeholders, made up of traditional rulers, academia, civil society groups, community leaders, and leaders of the youth groups, have called for the extension of the total ban regime on commercial motorcycle (okada) operators in Lagos State.
On May 18, 2022, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu rising from a State Security Council (SSC) meeting, had directed total ban on okada operation beginning from June 1, this year, from six Local Government Areas – Ikeja, Eti-Osa, Lagos Island, Apapa, Lagos Mainland and Surulere and nine Local Council Development Areas (LCDA).
But rising from the stakeholders forum which was held by the government at The Marquee, LTV, premises, Agidingbi, Lagos, Lagosians urged the government to enforce the statewide ban, arguing that the ban is needed to bring sanity to transportation system in the state.
Their position came even as the government reported that crime and accident rates have reduced by 86 per cent and 63.7 per cent respectively in Lagos since the ban enforcement started in June.
Addressing the participants, Oladeinde said: “In the affected areas within the period under review, available records show that crime and accident rate reduced astronomically by 86% and 63.7% respectively while a total of 7,500 motorcycles impounded within the period have been crushed by the government.
“It is no longer news that there is a rise in the level of insecurity as a result of the rampage of banditry and kidnapping across all states of the Federation. The Federal Government, therefore, is presently considering the total ban of motorcycle operations across the Federation as most of these underground activities are being enhanced with the use of motorcycles.
“Also, the attention of the State Government has been drawn to the security threat that some unscrupulous individuals are planning to attack the State, and the government is already working round the clock to secure the State and its residents from these non-State actors.
He argued that the spotlight has been on okada operations in the State as a result of their non-compliance to traffic rules and regulations as well as the fact that it is adjudged the only means of transportation that is used to easily and successfully perpetrate all sort of crimes (i.e robbery, kidnapping, supply of arms, attack etc) due to its manoeuvring nature.
He said all stakeholders must join hands with the government to address the menace of okada operations in Lagos.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the government has been inundated with criticisms from Lagosians since the implementation of the ban.
In the words of the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, “At the time Governor Sanwo-Olu announced the government’s decision, there were criticisms from various segments of the State. Those complaints were based largely on sentiments of those who had not witnessed the havoc some of the Okada riders caused in the areas of health and security.
“Residents were being robbed of their belongings by robbers who used motorcycles to flee scenes of crimes; our public hospitals were being filled with victims of Okada accidents (doctors had their hands full at Emergency wards), and hoodlums who rode unregistered motorbikes posed a great threat to the public.
“After seeing the results of the ban in the six local government areas, many Lagosians have been calling on the government to expand the ban; some say it should be Statewide, considering the present anxiety over security. “Mr Governor has mandated us to have this meeting to discuss what next.”
He therefore charged participants to help the government take informed decisions on the way forward in the management of traffic and combatting insecurity as it relates to the use of okada as a means of public transportation in a densely populated state like Lagos.
In his paper, Okada (commercial motorcycle operation) What next? Prof. Bamidele Badejo canvassed a total ban on okada.
He said due to sundry issues, ranging from security and safety, health consequences, high incidences of crashes, entropy (confusion on the highways) none compliance to extant traffic rules and regulations and high level of indiscipline of drivers, it is imperative the government strengthen the ban and extend it statewide.
Badejo, who was a former Commissioner for Transportation in the state held that okada from operations point of view is very inefficient, incompetent, informal and chaotic, and poor service delivery, coupled with rate of accidents, okada, cannot be factored into Smartcity development agenda of the government.
He said rather than reverse the ban on okada, government should activate intermodal system of transportation that would lead to a massive reduction of dependence on the road mode.
Discussants among who were human rights activists Nelson Ekujumi, Community Development Council state Chairman, Alhaji Azeesat Amusa, Youth Leader, Olalekan Sulaimon Oba, and Editorial Page Editor of The Nation, Mr Sanya Oni, urged Lagosians to embrace non-motorised transportation to execute short routes rather than rely on okada transportation. The discussants, who were moderated by Journalists Hangout anchor Kolade Otitoloju urged Lagosians to be an anti okada riding ambassador to help the government rid the state of the menace okada operators have constituted on the road.