Ayodele Olalere
For residents of Agboyi-Ketu, Oshodi-Isolo, Isolo and Eti-Osa local government areas of Lagos State, life has not been the same since the state government placed a total ban on the operations of commercial motorcyclists popularly called okada in those areas and other 13 local governments and local council development areas.
In May this year, the government began moves to prohibit okada operations in the state. Although the Babatunde Raji Fashola administration had also restricted the okada riders from major highways, enforcement of the ban was not very strict as the riders flouted the law and operated with impunity.
Their operation became more daring during the Ambode administration as the state government went to sleep while okada riders took over the highways and all inner streets. It became a major source of transportation and a quick get-away for Lagosians who daily have to cope with the neck-break traffic the state is known for.
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Accidents involving commercial motorcyclists rose sharply with the majority of the patients at the Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital being victims of okada accidents. It also heightened the level of insecurity as many of the riders were discovered to be armed robbers who use the motorcycles as a means of getting away quickly after robbing their victims.
Owing to the high rate of unemployment in the country, commercial motorcycle riding became an alternative for many higher school graduates to earn a living. Artisans and skilled workers also abandoned their vocations and took to riding Okada for survival, especially because of the quick money it provides.
More worrisome was the fact that natives from other states especially the northern part of the country, as well as non-Nigerians from neighbouring countries such as the Niger Republic, Republic of Benin and Chad began to see Lagos State as a goldmine for Okada business, and, therefore, began trooping to the state in hundreds on daily basis with their okada.
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Worried by the menace of the okada riders and the danger it poses to the state if not checkmated, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu began gradual moves to ban their activities in phases.
The move was premised on the ongoing changes and developments in infrastructure the state is witnessing to enhance its smart megacity status. The introduction of Bus Rapid Transport, BRT, and the improvements in waterways transportation, the ongoing construction of the Blue and Red Line rail lines were intended to make the state compete with other developed states across the world.
Therefore, it came as no surprise when the state government, through the Ministry of Transportation announced the ban on okada on highways, six local governments and nine local development areas as the first of the plans to phase out commercial motorcycle rides in the state.
The affected areas are Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island and Apapa, and the LCDAs under them. The ban was total and indefinite, according to the Commissioner for Transport, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, while announcing the ban.
Commuters Groan
Expectedly, the ban generated lots of reactions from Lagosians who worried about the effect it would have on commuting from one place to another. If the Okada riders and Lagosians thought the government was joking, they were mistaken as the government, in August, announced the commencement of the second phase of the ban from September 1.
The newly affected councils are Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Somolu and Mushin. The LCDAs are Ikosi-Isheri, Agboyi-Ketu, Isolo, Bariga and Odi-Olowo.
Since the ban, many Lagosians have been complaining about now walking long distances to board buses to their respective destinations.
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Mrs Florence Chinemere, who lives in the Oshodi-Isolo LCDA lamented the difficulty in getting out of her area to the bus stop where she usually boards a bus to her place of work.
“It has not been easy since the ban commenced on September 1. Before now, I could easily take okada from my street to the bus stop and board the bus to Oshodi. But now, I trek to the bus stop which takes me about 20 minutes. By the time I get to the bus stop, I’m already tired and will still have to wait for several minutes before getting a bus. It’s very stressful,” she lamented.
While announcing the ban, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, had said that the state government would provide alternatives such as the First and Last Mile buses to ply inner roads.
He had also said the ban would allow Lagosians to walk as a means of exercise for improved health conditions and avoid over-reliance on motorcycles.
Reacting to the provision of the buses, Mrs Florence told The Nigerian Xpress that the buses were few compared with the number of people it was expected to convey.
“The question is how many of those buses are available? They (government) said they have 200 buses to distribute to the affected local governments but the buses cannot be enough. The highest they can send to any local government is 10 but can 10 be enough to carry the number of people that will be affected by the ban in each local government? The answer is no.
“In my area, I have not seen any of those buses. What I expected the government to do was to have provided those buses and allow them to operate for some time and for people to get used to them before banning the okada. Though the motive behind the ban is commendable, it should have been done systematically so that its effects of it would not be felt too much. Now, I get to the office late because of trekking. They said we should walk more but is it easy to walk just like that? You can imagine you are already tired by the time you get to your office because of walking a long distance from your house to the bus stop,” she added.
Mrs Maureen Ogolorb who lives in Ketu in the Agboyi-Ketu local council area told The Nigerian Xpress that she trekked for 30 minutes from her house to the bus stop.
According to her, she now gets to her office on the island one hour late unlike what happened before the ban.
“The ban has affected my going out. Now I walk for 30 minutes from my house to the bus stop every morning. Now I get to the office at least an hour later than usual. It’s not easy at all,” she also lamented.
Asked about the buses the government promised to provide, she asked rhetorically’ where are the buses?
“How many people can the buses service? Is it everyone that can walk a long distance? Some have health challenges that cannot allow them to walk long distances which was the reason they rode okada. I read that the government said the okada riders can come together and buy those buses from the government and pay back by instalment but how many of them can afford the initial deposit?
Instead of banning them totally, I expected the government to regulate their operation by ensuring all of them register with the local government where they operate so they can be monitored for security reasons,” she said.
Mr Michael Boroh lives in Apapa in the Apapa local government area. He also narrated his experience since the ban.
Hear him: “The Okada ban is affecting me, going out and coming back has not been easy. My street is a bit far from the main bus stop so I have to walk for like 15 minutes to the bus stop. By the time I get to the bus stop, I am already sweating. Before now, I would just stand in front of my house and take Okada to the bus stop,” he said.
He added: “I will only urge the government to provide enough of the First and Last Mile buses so that they can ply inner streets. If they can make those buses available and the transport fare cheaper, it will be better but for now, it’s not easy commuting.”
Governor Sanwo-Ou, had, through Mr Omotoso said the government decided in line with the State’s Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 to immediately address the chaos and menace created by the operations of Okada in the listed areas. He told the police to enforce the order without compromise.
He said, “After a critical review of our restriction on okada activities in the first six local government areas where we restricted them on February 1, 2020, we have seen that the menace has not abated. We are now directing a total ban on okada activities across the highways and bridges within these six local governments and their local government areas.”
The governor added: “This is a phased ban we are embarking on this period, and we expect that within the short while when this ban will be enforced, Okada riders in other places where their activities are yet to be banned can find something else to do. We expect all commercial motorcycles plying the routes in the listed councils and areas to vacate the highways before enforcement begins. The enforcement will be total.”