Some of those who patronise Okada operators frowned at the ban insisting it would compound the plight of commuters in the nation’s commercial capital. Their complaint is hinged on the perennial traffic gridlock which makes commuting within the city very cumbersome.
According to them, most people live very far away from their places of work/business and if they rely on the ineffective transportation system in the city, they would be sacked as a result of late coming. As one of them puts it, a passenger may be in the gridlock and somebody travelling to Akure in Ondo State, will get to his destination.
Many Okada operators wondered why the government should ban their operations when it has done little or nothing to provide jobs for the multitude of Okada riders. They also blamed the government for leaving the roads unattended to, a situation that has made most of them unmotorable, hence people prefer to use motor-bikes to wade through the pot-hole ridden roads.
*Motorcyclists during operation
The ban is said to have been prompted by the Lagos mega city projection plan on one hand and the attitude of some Okada riders who use their bikes to perpetuate criminal activities. Some of them were also accused of recklessness which has sent many to early grave.
A visit to some Okada sales outlets in Lagos Island and Lagos Mainland revealed that many distributors do not cheer the ban. Mr. Ifeanyin Osigwe who sells motorcycles in Agege said that their sales will drastically fall if the ban is effected by the government.
According to him, majority of those who buy bikes from them use it for commercial purposes due to the dearth of jobs. Osigwe noted that the ban could send a wrong signal that the government is only interested in increasing the suffering of its citizens.
Mr. Atorise Ganiyu who patronises Okada riders almost on a daily basis, stated that he cannot do without them because of the nature of his distributive business. ‘’ Can I connect from Ketu to Ikorodu, Surulere, Ikotun, Oshodi, Abule-Egba and Palmgrove without using motorcycles?, he wondered.
One of the Okada riders who decried the ban said that he makes money faster by plying the highways. “Anyway, when two elephants fight, it is the grass that will suffer. Let the ban be effected, Police go die, Okada riders go die,” he said in pidgin English.
A visit to some Okada operations units in Mushin, Agbonyi-Ketu, Obalende, Allen-Avenue, Badagry, Agbara, Ikotun, iyana-Ipaja, Agege and Surulere revealed information gotten from officials of Motorcycle Operators Association of Lagos State MOALS, that the ban will impact adversely on their members and the union.
A visit to the National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi shows that at the Intensive Care Unit, many of the patients who are on admission are victims of Okada accidents. An average of five toten patients are brought in daily as a result of impatient and careless riding which results into accidents.
A physiotherapist who identified himself as Dr. Kehinde Odumuyiwa said some of the riders are not proficient. They just jump into the business because it is lucrative.
A State executive of MOALS who pleaded anonymity said he has been riding Okada for 18 years. He went into the business as a result of frustration arising from joblessness. ‘’Nobody intends ride a motorcycle, it is frustration that got me into it; it is a business I don’t want my children to inherit.
I trained as a tailor and spare parts dealer but was unable to make ends meet until I resolved to go into Okada business. All was well with Okada business in Lagos State until the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Opeifa as an adviser and Commissioner for Transport.
His era marked the introduction of road worthiness (N3,500), riders permit (N2,200), tax clearance (N4,500) per annum. After these payments, we also buy tickets from our various parks and local government councils. That notwithstanding, a Police man can engage a motorcycle for hours without paying for the service.
We are compelled to pay illegally at various check points and failure to comply will attract punishment from some unscrupulous Police men. Government should create jobs and rehabilitate roads,’’ he said.
A branch leader of MOALS, Lukmon Onifade said the government should create separate lanes for motorcyclists, ‘’Like it did for BRT, the government should create separate lanes for motorcycles. Accident occurs due to lack of concentration.
Local government officials, members of the Nigeria Police, LASTMA, KAI, Man O war, Civil Defense, Vehicle Inspection Officers VIO and Federal Road Safety Commission extort money and create fear in our members. As a result, a rider finds it difficult to concentrate on the road. The suffering is too much and many of us have resorted to drinking to douse the tension,’’ he said.
Another leader of Okada operators at Surulere said accidents outlined measures that can lead to a drop in the number of accidents. According to him, the government and MOALS should screen, train and retrain Okada riders.
“Although the Police and LASTMA cannot curb the menace or excesses of Okada riders, they can at least curtail them. Those who use Okada to rob do not have identity cards and the Police knows them very well. They can be traced with the Identity cards,” he said.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Ibrahim Opeifa on phone however said: ‘’I am not saying anything on the Okada issue. We have sent press releases to all media houses and if journalists are interested in riding Okada, they should go ahead. As for me, I have stated my position and there is nothing I want to say again,’’ Opeifa said.
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The Okada riders should restrict themselves to the interiors and they will still meet their daily needs. Their lawlessness on the highways is intolerable.
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