THE past week was full of laments, cries and
curses in Lagos following the Lagos State government's move against commercial
motorcycle (okada) operation on highways.
The move consolidated by Lagos State's new traffic laws recently, signed into law by Gov. Babatunde Raji Fashola, led to a face-off between the okada men and government, Monday through Wednesday culminating in the drafting of tear gas and bullet-firing policemen in anti-riot gear, and tanks on the streets.
In the aftermath, okada, which has over the years become a crucial means of transportation in the city with a plethora of bad roads and inadequate network of motor routes, vanished in the city.
Bus and taxi operators which were grossly inadequate, hiked their fares by over 400 per cent.
And the city suffered in the absence of okada with a mass of the populace, comprising the sick and elderly, school children, pregnant women, nursing mothers among others found, walking tens of kilometers to and fro their destinations.
Lagosians continue to groan under the biting effects of the prohibition, and expetts project that over N2 billion may have been lost directly, from the state's economy, in just the six days of the okada saga. While the overall economic impact on skewrd commercial and social activities is left for imagination.
Futher heightening the worry is that business have been grounded while access to some major parts of the state and its environs which the absence of okada makes difficult compounds the fate of residents, market women and other traders.
Financial analysts who have been counting the costs on the economy of the state and the people base their appraisal on a frugal calculation that in the 57 local councils and development areas in the state (20 local governments and 37 council development areas), with a projected 15 million population (and still growing) there are, at least 100,000 commercial motorcycles in operation.
According to studies by erudite economist and investment businessman, Prof. Pat Utomi, a typical okada operator in Lagos makes a minimum of N2,000 daily. Of the earning he could return about N1,000 to the owner and keep the rest. Some sources say there are several okada that make far more than N2,000 daily, particularly those that ply long routes who the most affected by the ban of ommercial motorcycle from 475 roads in Lagos.
But based on the Dr. Utomi calculation, two billion naira would have been gobbled in the first five days of the okada strife.
Following the implementation of the controversial new traffic laws by the Lagos State government which prohibits the operation of Okada on 475 major roads in the state and with the subsequent clampdown which resulted into the impounding of over 3,000 bikes by security agents, the okada riders since Monday took to the streets to protest what they described as an inhuman treatment being meted out to them.
The protests which took place simultaneously in different part of Lagos resulted in heavy traffic gridlock while angry okada operators and their sympatisers vented their anger on government properties including the Lagos mass transit buses.
The Nigerian Compass on Sunday investigations revealed that aside the suburbs, in some areas like Central Business District in Lagos Island, such as, Broad Street, Tinubu, Obalende, Church Mission Street (CMS), Upper and Down Marina streets, of the metropolis, commuters walked from their places of endeavors to work place.
Many who could not afford the hiked transport fares complained and cursed as they did their walk.
At Onipanu, along Ikorodu Road, some protesters vandalized about 10 (BRT) buses. They trooped out in droves, at Ejigbo and Akowonjo areas protesting the partial ban on their activities in the state. They blocked some major streets as hey displayed placcards and fresh leaves while chanting anti-governments songs.
Monday through Wenesday, there was pandemonium in many areas following the arrival of police men from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to quell the protests.
Sources told our reporter that many of the protesters were arrested by the men of the RRS and were consequently detained at police stations in Ikeja.
Commenting on the development, in her office in Ikeja, Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide said : “the police are all out to enforce full implementation of the new state traffics laws. We will not be deterred by any amount of blackmail or any kind of noise by the group.
“If you again look at some other areas where their activities were not banned, some of them still contravened some of these state laws. We still have the issue of not putting on their crash helmets, carrying a child under 12 years of age, the issue of some pregnant women riding and backing a baby on the okada, are still issues we are trashing out in the state.”
Indeed, this is not the best of times for Okada riders and commuters as well. But the okada riders are the worst hit at the moment. And the rue the development. Some of them vocally, feel betrayed. Their complaints rein the airwaves in public platforms o all radio and televisomn channels in the city.
State governor, Mr. Fashola, they moaned, promised courted them during his re-election campaign in 2011. Then, he promised he will not ban okada. In fact while hosting them when he made the promise, he gave out free helmets, reflective shields and aprons for their use. Now, it seems the chicken has come home to roost.
A tour around the Lagos metropolis, shows that most operators are no longer on the highways. But there is also confusion as even in non-highway routes there are no okada as operators claim police and government officials hound them there too.
In Oyingbo area of Ebute Metta, for instance, commuters can no longer find bike during day time. Now, they resort to tricycles popularly known Keke Marwa.
Tricia Anthony, a trader at the popular Oyingbo Market, told her story thus: “I have a stall just behind the Bjhonsons Mall. Since government banned the bike, it is now difficult for me and some other people around here to go home in the evenings. When I leave my stall, there are no bikes in sight. I don't seem to understand what is going on, what we heard is that government wants them (okada) off the expressway. Now, we can't even get okadas to our homes,” she lamented.
In the same vein, Ochuko Lawson, who plies the ever busy route bemoaned the development. “If you ask me, I think the state government is not sympathetic to our plight as ordinary citizens. There is no way a total ban on okadas will work in Lagos, given its cosmopolitan nature.
I agree that there is the need for some sort of checks and balances to curtail some of their excesses but to remove them from our streets is not fair. Some of us depend on them to get to our offices when there is heavy traffic as well as our homes from the bus stops. Imagine a scenario where you will you have to walk several miles to your house. It becomes a risk, and you know how Lagos is, securitt-wise,” he said.
For Godwin Adaku who owns a motorcycle, (although he doesn't use it for commercial purposes), the menace caused by law enforcement agencies while trying to enforce the new traffic law is appalling. “Do you know that the other day in Ijora, police men hit an okada rider in front of me.
I think that this is wrong. Even if they want to enforce this law, there is a way that they can go about it. I frown at the fact that the peoples' lives are being jeopardised, all in the name of law enforcement. There seems to be some sort of confusion, since the state governor did not outrightly ban okada men.
Rather, there's a restriction on the highway such as The Third Mainland Bridge, Ikorodu Road and some other strategic places. The way I see it, I think they just don't want okadas in Lagos again.
I heard yesterday that some commuters walked from Berger to Ogba, some walked to Agege because there were no bikes! I was arguing the other day with my friends whether Governor Fashola is reneging on his promises. He should state what the law enforcement agencies should do because we don't know anymore.
The initial arrangement was to ban Okada riders on the highway and operate within the streets. Now, the police are everywhere, beating Okada riders at will. I am sure that this wasn't part of what government asked them to do.
“One wonders if this ban will not affect private individuals as well as courier and dispatch riders,” Godwin quipped.
Asked to suggest solution, he said: “By now, I would have expected Governor to address Lagosians and a number of issues regarding the ban. He should also give a stern warning to the law enforcement agencies like the police, KAI, LASTMA, VIO that they are deviating from what he asked them to do.
“Frankly, if there is a total ban on okada, I tell you that there is going to be an increase in crime rate. If not for accidents, they remain the fastest means of transportation in Lagos. Though sometimes, miscreants use it to rob people, it doesn't take away the fact that it is a means of transportation here.”
Commenting on the alleged destruction of impounded motorcycles by the state government, Godwin said: “That is not a fair thing to do. They could have sold them out through an auction or give it back to the original owners for a token fare. By so doing, they could take it to their villages to continue their business rather than destroy it”.
An okada rider who simply wants to be identified as Fatai was very bitter when he spoke to The Nigerian Compass on Sunday. He said: “These days, it has become difficult to make ends meet. We can no longer ply Yaba routes to some places. How do they expect us to feed our families?
“I do not know whether the government will provide food for all the affected families in Lagos. I live on Apapa Road, two shops were burgled three days ago. Yesterday morning, someone also jumped over another fence to rob a house. That is what will happen when peoples' means of livelihood is suddenly taken away from them. The State government is taking away our bikes. So how do they expect us to survive without an alternative source of income?”
Fatai also bemoaned the fact that the government is destroying some of the seized okadas,saying it costs between N110,000 and N150,000 to purchase a new one.
“Some of us cannot afford to buy taxis to run cabs, that is why we had to raise money to buy okadas. In any case, it wasn't easy to raise the money.
I have always maintained that it is the people that will cry out to Governor Fashola. Since this development started, everyone has been affected one way or the other; from market women to school children, traders and even those who do white collar jobs. Now, everyone is groaning over the ban. If you listen to the radio,you will understand what I mean,” he said.
“As a family man, he complained that since this storm started about a month ago, his fortunes have dwindled considerably. He has been sitting at home idle since last week Tuesday. “Sadly, I have been at home for over a week now. I just decided to come out now because I need money to celebrate Sallah with my family. I do not have a penny to my name as I speak to you.
Consequently, I have to work, as long as I don't ply the expressway. The Police and LASTMA officials are making things difficult for us. They resort to intimidation and all sorts of harassment in order to bar us from working. I can only hope that the state government will re-consider their stance on the clamp down on okada riders and pity us. We have dependents and some of us don't want to take to crime.
The way I see this situation, a revolution will take place in the state soon if government turns a blind eye to the plight of the citizens. You can see that already happening with the recent protest by okada riders during the week.”
In the spirit of the Sallah Holidays, Fatai wonders how Lagosians will spend the holidays without this quick means of transportation within the Metropolis. He said one of his neighbours spent 'eternity from Egbeda to Iyana Ipaja in traffic. In the past, it would have been easy to board a bike but that is no longer the case.
When asked to comment on the spate of robbery attacks with okada, he said though he is not ruling out the fact that some unscrupulous elements use it to cause havoc but it seems difficult to believe that most robberies are caused by bike men.
“Are we saying that all robberies in Lagos are caused by okadas? I don't think so, so we need to be careful when dealing with these issues. The truth is that the Lagos State Government should not ban okadas in totality. If care is not taken, this will lead to a host of other problems in Lagos,” he added.
Chairman, Ifako, Ijaye Motorcycles Operatos Association of Lagos, Branch B, Mr. Bayo Ayorinde condemns the enforcement of the describing it as brutal and want it to have a human face. He called for a peaceful resolution of the crises.
In the same vein, Chairman Motorcycle Operators Association of Lagos, Iju Ifajo Branch, Mr. Ganiyu Ogundimu wanted to know how the government wants them to survive. According to him, they resorted to operating Okada because the government failed to provide them with employment saying many of them are university graduates, warning that if care is not taken, crime rate would worsen.
Justifying the reasons for the action, the state Governor Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola noted the alarming numbers of casualties at the state hospital emergency wards. The governor who spoke at the metropolitan club, Victoria Island, Lagos during a special season on law and order in the state last Tuesday said: ‘people should visit the hospitals and emergency wards and see those who have lost their limbs arms .Those who lost their children and those who have become orphans by the recklessness of some of the Okada riders.’
Mrs. Adeola, who works with the United Bank, Lagos Island branch, told our reporter that after the close of the day, “ordinarily, before the restriction on their operations, I could get to my house in Ikeja, Lagos with the use of okada in minutes. But, most of the distance is now done by trekking. And I could not get to my Ikeja destinations until late in the evening”.
Students and school pupils too, that suffered untold hardships before getting to their homes have pleaded with the governor to have a rethink over the restriction on their operations.
Ekpo Udiakobong, said the actionof the Lagos State Governor is harsh. The consequences I fear will cause more panicky measures in the state .How does the governor wants us to get to school?’, he asked.
Dr. Adebayo Abiodun of University of Lagos told The Nigerian Compass on Sunday that: “The policy may look harsh but the security implication as well as the menace of motorcycle needs to be examined. A large number of the riders are not Nigerians. Many of these people are from neighboring countries like Chad and Niger.
They used them to rob and apart from that, the armed robbers could be among them. During the day, they do okada, at night they know the terrain and well informed, they could come back to rob the people.”
Speaking further, he said: “If you allow them now what will happen to our internal security. It is dangerous for Lagos with large population. If there decide to use these guys to strike in Lagos, the securities can’t match them. They increased by the day. They know the nook and crannies of the state. If Boko Haram decided to use them, we are all 'goners' in the state.”
The move consolidated by Lagos State's new traffic laws recently, signed into law by Gov. Babatunde Raji Fashola, led to a face-off between the okada men and government, Monday through Wednesday culminating in the drafting of tear gas and bullet-firing policemen in anti-riot gear, and tanks on the streets.
In the aftermath, okada, which has over the years become a crucial means of transportation in the city with a plethora of bad roads and inadequate network of motor routes, vanished in the city.
Bus and taxi operators which were grossly inadequate, hiked their fares by over 400 per cent.
And the city suffered in the absence of okada with a mass of the populace, comprising the sick and elderly, school children, pregnant women, nursing mothers among others found, walking tens of kilometers to and fro their destinations.
Lagosians continue to groan under the biting effects of the prohibition, and expetts project that over N2 billion may have been lost directly, from the state's economy, in just the six days of the okada saga. While the overall economic impact on skewrd commercial and social activities is left for imagination.
Futher heightening the worry is that business have been grounded while access to some major parts of the state and its environs which the absence of okada makes difficult compounds the fate of residents, market women and other traders.
Financial analysts who have been counting the costs on the economy of the state and the people base their appraisal on a frugal calculation that in the 57 local councils and development areas in the state (20 local governments and 37 council development areas), with a projected 15 million population (and still growing) there are, at least 100,000 commercial motorcycles in operation.
According to studies by erudite economist and investment businessman, Prof. Pat Utomi, a typical okada operator in Lagos makes a minimum of N2,000 daily. Of the earning he could return about N1,000 to the owner and keep the rest. Some sources say there are several okada that make far more than N2,000 daily, particularly those that ply long routes who the most affected by the ban of ommercial motorcycle from 475 roads in Lagos.
But based on the Dr. Utomi calculation, two billion naira would have been gobbled in the first five days of the okada strife.
Following the implementation of the controversial new traffic laws by the Lagos State government which prohibits the operation of Okada on 475 major roads in the state and with the subsequent clampdown which resulted into the impounding of over 3,000 bikes by security agents, the okada riders since Monday took to the streets to protest what they described as an inhuman treatment being meted out to them.
The protests which took place simultaneously in different part of Lagos resulted in heavy traffic gridlock while angry okada operators and their sympatisers vented their anger on government properties including the Lagos mass transit buses.
The Nigerian Compass on Sunday investigations revealed that aside the suburbs, in some areas like Central Business District in Lagos Island, such as, Broad Street, Tinubu, Obalende, Church Mission Street (CMS), Upper and Down Marina streets, of the metropolis, commuters walked from their places of endeavors to work place.
Many who could not afford the hiked transport fares complained and cursed as they did their walk.
At Onipanu, along Ikorodu Road, some protesters vandalized about 10 (BRT) buses. They trooped out in droves, at Ejigbo and Akowonjo areas protesting the partial ban on their activities in the state. They blocked some major streets as hey displayed placcards and fresh leaves while chanting anti-governments songs.
Monday through Wenesday, there was pandemonium in many areas following the arrival of police men from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to quell the protests.
Sources told our reporter that many of the protesters were arrested by the men of the RRS and were consequently detained at police stations in Ikeja.
Commenting on the development, in her office in Ikeja, Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide said : “the police are all out to enforce full implementation of the new state traffics laws. We will not be deterred by any amount of blackmail or any kind of noise by the group.
“If you again look at some other areas where their activities were not banned, some of them still contravened some of these state laws. We still have the issue of not putting on their crash helmets, carrying a child under 12 years of age, the issue of some pregnant women riding and backing a baby on the okada, are still issues we are trashing out in the state.”
Indeed, this is not the best of times for Okada riders and commuters as well. But the okada riders are the worst hit at the moment. And the rue the development. Some of them vocally, feel betrayed. Their complaints rein the airwaves in public platforms o all radio and televisomn channels in the city.
State governor, Mr. Fashola, they moaned, promised courted them during his re-election campaign in 2011. Then, he promised he will not ban okada. In fact while hosting them when he made the promise, he gave out free helmets, reflective shields and aprons for their use. Now, it seems the chicken has come home to roost.
A tour around the Lagos metropolis, shows that most operators are no longer on the highways. But there is also confusion as even in non-highway routes there are no okada as operators claim police and government officials hound them there too.
In Oyingbo area of Ebute Metta, for instance, commuters can no longer find bike during day time. Now, they resort to tricycles popularly known Keke Marwa.
Tricia Anthony, a trader at the popular Oyingbo Market, told her story thus: “I have a stall just behind the Bjhonsons Mall. Since government banned the bike, it is now difficult for me and some other people around here to go home in the evenings. When I leave my stall, there are no bikes in sight. I don't seem to understand what is going on, what we heard is that government wants them (okada) off the expressway. Now, we can't even get okadas to our homes,” she lamented.
In the same vein, Ochuko Lawson, who plies the ever busy route bemoaned the development. “If you ask me, I think the state government is not sympathetic to our plight as ordinary citizens. There is no way a total ban on okadas will work in Lagos, given its cosmopolitan nature.
I agree that there is the need for some sort of checks and balances to curtail some of their excesses but to remove them from our streets is not fair. Some of us depend on them to get to our offices when there is heavy traffic as well as our homes from the bus stops. Imagine a scenario where you will you have to walk several miles to your house. It becomes a risk, and you know how Lagos is, securitt-wise,” he said.
For Godwin Adaku who owns a motorcycle, (although he doesn't use it for commercial purposes), the menace caused by law enforcement agencies while trying to enforce the new traffic law is appalling. “Do you know that the other day in Ijora, police men hit an okada rider in front of me.
I think that this is wrong. Even if they want to enforce this law, there is a way that they can go about it. I frown at the fact that the peoples' lives are being jeopardised, all in the name of law enforcement. There seems to be some sort of confusion, since the state governor did not outrightly ban okada men.
Rather, there's a restriction on the highway such as The Third Mainland Bridge, Ikorodu Road and some other strategic places. The way I see it, I think they just don't want okadas in Lagos again.
I heard yesterday that some commuters walked from Berger to Ogba, some walked to Agege because there were no bikes! I was arguing the other day with my friends whether Governor Fashola is reneging on his promises. He should state what the law enforcement agencies should do because we don't know anymore.
The initial arrangement was to ban Okada riders on the highway and operate within the streets. Now, the police are everywhere, beating Okada riders at will. I am sure that this wasn't part of what government asked them to do.
“One wonders if this ban will not affect private individuals as well as courier and dispatch riders,” Godwin quipped.
Asked to suggest solution, he said: “By now, I would have expected Governor to address Lagosians and a number of issues regarding the ban. He should also give a stern warning to the law enforcement agencies like the police, KAI, LASTMA, VIO that they are deviating from what he asked them to do.
“Frankly, if there is a total ban on okada, I tell you that there is going to be an increase in crime rate. If not for accidents, they remain the fastest means of transportation in Lagos. Though sometimes, miscreants use it to rob people, it doesn't take away the fact that it is a means of transportation here.”
Commenting on the alleged destruction of impounded motorcycles by the state government, Godwin said: “That is not a fair thing to do. They could have sold them out through an auction or give it back to the original owners for a token fare. By so doing, they could take it to their villages to continue their business rather than destroy it”.
An okada rider who simply wants to be identified as Fatai was very bitter when he spoke to The Nigerian Compass on Sunday. He said: “These days, it has become difficult to make ends meet. We can no longer ply Yaba routes to some places. How do they expect us to feed our families?
“I do not know whether the government will provide food for all the affected families in Lagos. I live on Apapa Road, two shops were burgled three days ago. Yesterday morning, someone also jumped over another fence to rob a house. That is what will happen when peoples' means of livelihood is suddenly taken away from them. The State government is taking away our bikes. So how do they expect us to survive without an alternative source of income?”
Fatai also bemoaned the fact that the government is destroying some of the seized okadas,saying it costs between N110,000 and N150,000 to purchase a new one.
“Some of us cannot afford to buy taxis to run cabs, that is why we had to raise money to buy okadas. In any case, it wasn't easy to raise the money.
I have always maintained that it is the people that will cry out to Governor Fashola. Since this development started, everyone has been affected one way or the other; from market women to school children, traders and even those who do white collar jobs. Now, everyone is groaning over the ban. If you listen to the radio,you will understand what I mean,” he said.
“As a family man, he complained that since this storm started about a month ago, his fortunes have dwindled considerably. He has been sitting at home idle since last week Tuesday. “Sadly, I have been at home for over a week now. I just decided to come out now because I need money to celebrate Sallah with my family. I do not have a penny to my name as I speak to you.
Consequently, I have to work, as long as I don't ply the expressway. The Police and LASTMA officials are making things difficult for us. They resort to intimidation and all sorts of harassment in order to bar us from working. I can only hope that the state government will re-consider their stance on the clamp down on okada riders and pity us. We have dependents and some of us don't want to take to crime.
The way I see this situation, a revolution will take place in the state soon if government turns a blind eye to the plight of the citizens. You can see that already happening with the recent protest by okada riders during the week.”
In the spirit of the Sallah Holidays, Fatai wonders how Lagosians will spend the holidays without this quick means of transportation within the Metropolis. He said one of his neighbours spent 'eternity from Egbeda to Iyana Ipaja in traffic. In the past, it would have been easy to board a bike but that is no longer the case.
When asked to comment on the spate of robbery attacks with okada, he said though he is not ruling out the fact that some unscrupulous elements use it to cause havoc but it seems difficult to believe that most robberies are caused by bike men.
“Are we saying that all robberies in Lagos are caused by okadas? I don't think so, so we need to be careful when dealing with these issues. The truth is that the Lagos State Government should not ban okadas in totality. If care is not taken, this will lead to a host of other problems in Lagos,” he added.
Chairman, Ifako, Ijaye Motorcycles Operatos Association of Lagos, Branch B, Mr. Bayo Ayorinde condemns the enforcement of the describing it as brutal and want it to have a human face. He called for a peaceful resolution of the crises.
In the same vein, Chairman Motorcycle Operators Association of Lagos, Iju Ifajo Branch, Mr. Ganiyu Ogundimu wanted to know how the government wants them to survive. According to him, they resorted to operating Okada because the government failed to provide them with employment saying many of them are university graduates, warning that if care is not taken, crime rate would worsen.
Justifying the reasons for the action, the state Governor Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola noted the alarming numbers of casualties at the state hospital emergency wards. The governor who spoke at the metropolitan club, Victoria Island, Lagos during a special season on law and order in the state last Tuesday said: ‘people should visit the hospitals and emergency wards and see those who have lost their limbs arms .Those who lost their children and those who have become orphans by the recklessness of some of the Okada riders.’
Mrs. Adeola, who works with the United Bank, Lagos Island branch, told our reporter that after the close of the day, “ordinarily, before the restriction on their operations, I could get to my house in Ikeja, Lagos with the use of okada in minutes. But, most of the distance is now done by trekking. And I could not get to my Ikeja destinations until late in the evening”.
Students and school pupils too, that suffered untold hardships before getting to their homes have pleaded with the governor to have a rethink over the restriction on their operations.
Ekpo Udiakobong, said the actionof the Lagos State Governor is harsh. The consequences I fear will cause more panicky measures in the state .How does the governor wants us to get to school?’, he asked.
Dr. Adebayo Abiodun of University of Lagos told The Nigerian Compass on Sunday that: “The policy may look harsh but the security implication as well as the menace of motorcycle needs to be examined. A large number of the riders are not Nigerians. Many of these people are from neighboring countries like Chad and Niger.
They used them to rob and apart from that, the armed robbers could be among them. During the day, they do okada, at night they know the terrain and well informed, they could come back to rob the people.”
Speaking further, he said: “If you allow them now what will happen to our internal security. It is dangerous for Lagos with large population. If there decide to use these guys to strike in Lagos, the securities can’t match them. They increased by the day. They know the nook and crannies of the state. If Boko Haram decided to use them, we are all 'goners' in the state.”
Emmanuel Aina who said he is directly affected
because he uses okada everyday from Ikotun to Mushin still agreed with the
government policy. He spoke further, “In Port Harcourt city, when Okada was to
be banned, it caused so much uproar. Today, there is no commercial okada in
Port Harcourt. Okada kills, maims and destroy lives and properties.
Furthermore, the drivers are reckless and aggressive.”
Mrs. Obey Yemisi was of the opinion that though the policy is good, government should provide alternative for the people. She said that the government policy should not be taken without due considerations and alternative to the people”
Tajudeen Agbede, Lagos NURTW boss appealed for peace and truce over the issue before it got out of hand and hijacked by hoodlums. He called for reconciliation and amicable settlement between both parties while advising Okada riders not to destroy government properties which belong to all.
State Police Commissioner, Mr. Umaru Manko says 98 per cent of robbery incidents in the state are committed by Okada riders. His words: “they wait for people at the banks and other strategic places to rob them.”
He also allayed the fears of those reading ethnic coloration into the matter to forget it saying there is no tribe that cannot be found among the riders.
The State governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, in a statement by his media adviser, Hakeem Bello on Thursday, said no fewer than 619 people were either killed or seriously injured in commercial motorcycle accidents within the state in the last two years.
Of the number, 107 people died while 512 sustain serious injuries in the accidents which involved total 442 motorcycles.
However, Lagos-based lawyer and human rights activist, Bamidele Aturu, described the restriction of okada on Lagos roads as a callous and inhuman attempt to flush out the poor from the state. According to him, efforts to Lagos a mega city must not be at the expense of the poor.
His words: “To make the poor scapegoats for their project is a crime worse than rape. It is good to make Lagos and other urban cities look like London or Dubai. But it is pointed to make them London populated by paupers. May God truly help us to sleep with our two eyes closed”.
In the main time, commuters, school children suffered a lot with the withdrawal of Okadas. People trekking long distances while transport fares soared. The situation was worsened by the ongoing fuel scarcity and preparation for the Eid-el Kabir celebrations.
A suit instituted by the okada commercial riders against the state government restricting its movements on the road suffered a setback as a Lagos high court declined to grant an injunction to restrain the state government from prohibiting its movement on the state roads.
However, the judge, Justice Aishat Opesanwo granted the request of the okada riders under the aegis of Incorporated trustees of All Nigerians Autobike Commercial Owners and Workers Association for accelerated hearing in the suit. The judge fixed November 16 for the hearing of the substantive suit challenging the ban on the Okadas from plying 475 major roads in the state.
Following the protest, the Lagos State House of Assembly said it might review the restriction placed on commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called okada riders, by the state Road Traffic Law to outright ban.
Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, in reaction to the violent protest said if the riders did not stop the vandalisation of government properties, the lawmakers of the state might have no choice but to ban their operations.
But the operators have complained of harassment and extortion by policemen and LASTMA officials who are allegedly exploiting the situation to extort money. Some operators said the partial ban on the use of motorcycles on major Lagos highways will only serve to deprive them of their daily means of livelihood as they do not have an alternative.
In his reaction, the Chairman of the Motorcycle Owners and Riders in Lagos State (MOALS), Tijani Perkis, disclosed that the union would be meeting with the state governor, Babatunde Fashola over the issue.
Residents of the state who cannot do without the services of these okada are complaining of the difficulties they have had to face due to the enactment of this law. A commuter, Chinedu Chukwura, said he now has to resort to the use of buses to journey from his base in Surulere to his office in Apapa which makes the journey slower and more stressful and exposes him to lateness.
He said, “I really don’t understand what the government his doing, is there no other way to go about the implementation of the law? A journey that normally takes me 10 minutes on okada now takes me hour.”
Mrs. Obey Yemisi was of the opinion that though the policy is good, government should provide alternative for the people. She said that the government policy should not be taken without due considerations and alternative to the people”
Tajudeen Agbede, Lagos NURTW boss appealed for peace and truce over the issue before it got out of hand and hijacked by hoodlums. He called for reconciliation and amicable settlement between both parties while advising Okada riders not to destroy government properties which belong to all.
State Police Commissioner, Mr. Umaru Manko says 98 per cent of robbery incidents in the state are committed by Okada riders. His words: “they wait for people at the banks and other strategic places to rob them.”
He also allayed the fears of those reading ethnic coloration into the matter to forget it saying there is no tribe that cannot be found among the riders.
The State governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, in a statement by his media adviser, Hakeem Bello on Thursday, said no fewer than 619 people were either killed or seriously injured in commercial motorcycle accidents within the state in the last two years.
Of the number, 107 people died while 512 sustain serious injuries in the accidents which involved total 442 motorcycles.
However, Lagos-based lawyer and human rights activist, Bamidele Aturu, described the restriction of okada on Lagos roads as a callous and inhuman attempt to flush out the poor from the state. According to him, efforts to Lagos a mega city must not be at the expense of the poor.
His words: “To make the poor scapegoats for their project is a crime worse than rape. It is good to make Lagos and other urban cities look like London or Dubai. But it is pointed to make them London populated by paupers. May God truly help us to sleep with our two eyes closed”.
In the main time, commuters, school children suffered a lot with the withdrawal of Okadas. People trekking long distances while transport fares soared. The situation was worsened by the ongoing fuel scarcity and preparation for the Eid-el Kabir celebrations.
A suit instituted by the okada commercial riders against the state government restricting its movements on the road suffered a setback as a Lagos high court declined to grant an injunction to restrain the state government from prohibiting its movement on the state roads.
However, the judge, Justice Aishat Opesanwo granted the request of the okada riders under the aegis of Incorporated trustees of All Nigerians Autobike Commercial Owners and Workers Association for accelerated hearing in the suit. The judge fixed November 16 for the hearing of the substantive suit challenging the ban on the Okadas from plying 475 major roads in the state.
Following the protest, the Lagos State House of Assembly said it might review the restriction placed on commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called okada riders, by the state Road Traffic Law to outright ban.
Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, in reaction to the violent protest said if the riders did not stop the vandalisation of government properties, the lawmakers of the state might have no choice but to ban their operations.
But the operators have complained of harassment and extortion by policemen and LASTMA officials who are allegedly exploiting the situation to extort money. Some operators said the partial ban on the use of motorcycles on major Lagos highways will only serve to deprive them of their daily means of livelihood as they do not have an alternative.
In his reaction, the Chairman of the Motorcycle Owners and Riders in Lagos State (MOALS), Tijani Perkis, disclosed that the union would be meeting with the state governor, Babatunde Fashola over the issue.
Residents of the state who cannot do without the services of these okada are complaining of the difficulties they have had to face due to the enactment of this law. A commuter, Chinedu Chukwura, said he now has to resort to the use of buses to journey from his base in Surulere to his office in Apapa which makes the journey slower and more stressful and exposes him to lateness.
He said, “I really don’t understand what the government his doing, is there no other way to go about the implementation of the law? A journey that normally takes me 10 minutes on okada now takes me hour.”
The Compass
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