Commuters Groan As Lagos Govt Enforces Ban On ‘Okada’ Operations

MANY commuters in some local governments (LGAs) and local council development areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State where the government has banned the operation of commercial motorcycles were compelled to trek long distances today as the enforcement of the ban took effect.

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had on May 18, 2022 announced a total ban of the operation of commercial motorcycles, widely known as okada, in some local government areas in the state with effect from June 1, 2022.

Sanwo-Olu made the pronouncement at a meeting with all Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and Area Commanders in the state at the Lagos House, Ikeja.

The LGAs and LCDAs affected by the ban are Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Mainland, Lagos Island and Apapa.

“This is the phased banning we are going to be embarking on so that others in the short while will begin to look for something else to do. We are giving the notice now, so you can begin your strategy. From the 1st of June, we want the okadas to be off these major roads,” the governor said.

The ban is coming in the wake of the gruesome murder of a sound engineer, David Imoh, allegedly by commercial motorcyclists in the Lekki axis of the state on May 16, 2022.

According to reports, Imoh and a friend, a saxophonist, were said to be involved in a disagreement over N100 with a commercial motorcyclist and were attacked by the rider’s colleagues, during which they killed Imoh.

Narrating her ordeal, Grace, the widow of the 37-year-old Imoh, said her husband was wrongly labelled as a ritualist and yahoo boy and was consequently lynched to death.

Today’s Checks

With the population of Lagos State bursting at the seams and the number of commercial buses in the metropolis inadequate to satisfy commuting demands, the ‘okada’ has been a respite. ‘Okada’ operators stream into the state in their tens of thousands, especially from the northern parts of the country, and from countries like Mali, Chad and Niger Republic. But with the service the ‘okada’ riders provide has come disorder, chaos and violence. The riders flout traffic laws brazenly, ride recklessly and often cause accidents, killing innocent victims and maiming many, and attacking motorists and other citizens at the drop of a hat, like they did to Imoh on May 16. Not satisfied with killing him, they burnt his body.

Public outcry over the incident galvanised the Sanwo-Olu administration into reviving the extant Lagos State Transport Reform Law of 2018, although with some modifications. The governor restricted the ban to only six local governments and local council development areas, but maintained the ban of ‘okada’ operations on highways and bridges.

Source:- Icir

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