BY BRIGHT JACOB
The sledgehammer of the Lagos State Government on the activities of okada riders in the state finally took effect on June 1, and the ripple effects of the ban are already being felt by Lagosians in the form of increased transport fares, longer waiting hours at the bus stops and the possible fear of an unannounced breakdown of law and order.
The state government had placed an indefinite ban on okada, a form of motorcycle taxi popular in third world countries, because of the lynching of Sunday Imoh, a sound engineer, on Admiralty Way, Lekki, by irate okada men over a N100 balance, and the “security reports” already in the possession of the police before that unfortunate incident.
The news of Imoh’s murder had jolted Lagosians and compelled them to implore the Governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to as a matter of urgency, ban okada in the state.
Seemingly heeding the yearnings of Lagosians, Sanwo-Olu moved swiftly to place a total and indefinite ban on Okada in six Local Government Areas and nine Local Council Development Areas in Ikeja, Eti Osa, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Surulere and Apapa LGAs, while the LCDAs are Onigbongbo, Ojodu, Ikoyi-Obalende, Iru-Victoria Island, Lagos Island East, Itire-Ikate, Coker-Aguda, Iganmu and Yaba, with flyover Bridges and trunk roads in those areas also barred against them (Okada).
Addressing all Divisional Police Officers in the state, the Governor 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 Council Development Areas, effective from June 1, 2022.
“The whole of Ikeja, Surulere, Eti Osa, Lagos Island, Mainland and Apapa local governments; a total ban.
“It will take effect from June 1. This is a phased banning we are embarking on. So others should know whether to get out or look for something else to do.
“Begin your strategy. From June 1, we want all Okada to be completely off these areas,” Sanwo-Olu said.
In another forum, the governor promised to provide alternatives to cushion the effects of the ban.
Sensing that their means of livelihood were slipping from their grasp, the commercial motorcyclists allegedly threatened to disrupt the peace in the state, and foment anarchy.
However, in a show of force, the police dispelled the report; they insisted it was ready to quash any breakdown of law and order. The Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a tweet said that in line with the new ban, passengers on Okada would now be arrested and prosecuted (with the rider) and ignorance would not be an excuse.
“Under the new total ban of motorcycles in six Local Government Areas of Lagos State, passengers and riders alike will be arrested and prosecuted.
“The passenger is an accomplice. Ignorance will not be an excuse,” Hundeyin tweeted.
Reacting to the development, lawyer and a social-political analyst, Honesty Eguridu, told The Point that the government should not have placed an outright ban on the commercial motorcyclists.
According to Eguridu, the law banning okada “has been there”, but was “relaxed” during the administration of former governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
He noted that what Lagosians need “alternatives” to okada, with the traffic situation are being on the front burner of the government.
“It (ban) is a welcome development in a way, but it shouldn’t just be an outright ban. The law (banning okada) has been there. Fashola initiated the law to ban Okada, and when Ambode came on board, there was a kind of relaxation because they stopped enforcing it.
“So, the law has been there, but the problem we have in Lagos is there are no alternatives. When you ban Okada, what are the alternatives for people?
“The ban can also be a political tool. They ban Okada riders, but when election is approaching….it happened during Ambode’s time….you see LASTMA officials, Neighborhood Watch, and the rest of them….you see them looking the other way when people commit offense, because there is a “directive” to them not make the people angry”
“First of all, they must try and solve the traffic problem. What effort has this administration made to solve traffic problems? Fashola is the only governor (that made an effort). Ambode also tried to create some diversion to ease traffic. He did something at the entrance between Marina and The Third Mainland Bridge,” he judged.
Eguridu observed that the present administration of Governor Sanwo-Olu had failed in the task of traffic decongestion. He said this was necessary because more people were acquiring cars and the population of the state was also increasing. In his opinion, the failure on the part of the government made it expedient for people to patronise okada.
“This administration…that (traffic decongestion) ought to have been an ongoing thing (by them). Successive government is supposed to be looking for means of easing traffic because Lagos, as the years go by, a lot of people are acquiring cars, and the population is growing.
“When Fashola did what he did, traffic was based on the Third Mainland Bridge. But as time went on, the traffic built up again, because more people are coming into Lagos, and more people are acquiring cars.
“There must be continuous innovations on how to ease traffic because the Okada riders are having patronage on the expressways because of traffic congestion,” he said.
For the proliferation of okada in the interiors of Lagos, Eguridu said patronage was enjoyed because of the same failure of government not providing alternatives. He said that in other states where okada was banned, the government provided loans for people to acquire taxis which people could pay as little as N200 for their service.
“In the hinterland, they’re having patronage because people don’t have alternatives. Keke Marwa, largely, is not an alternative. In Rivers State, because Lagos is not the only state where they banned use of Okada. They also banned it in Calabar, Cross River State, but what happened there, the government gave soft loans to people to be able to acquire taxis, and that created alternatives.
“In Abuja, too, it’s the same thing. You have taxis all over the place that you can just hail down and you move. In Lagos, do we have such provisions? Where are the taxis? There are no taxis. If you go to the major streets in Lagos, you won’t find taxis you can easily take at affordable rates. In Abuja, you can get taxis for as low as N200, N300….even in Calabar, it’s the same thing.
“In Lagos, for you to get taxis, they will tell you N1, 000 or N1, 200. They don’t even have enough of these taxis,” he said.
Shedding more light, Eguridu said it was important the government addressed the issues why the Okada riders enjoyed so much patronage.
He submitted that if this was not done, the people might revolt the way they did during the administrations of Fashola and Ambode.
“You must address the issue why they are having patronage, because the same people are those who will revolt against you…it’s not even the Okada riders now….it’s the commoners that will revolt, because even if the police is enforcing the order, people will rise against them in some areas and say, “It is enough, leave them alone.” This happened during Fashola and Ambode’s administrations,” he noted.
Eguridu said people cursed the police and threw stones at them anytime they tried to enforce the ban on Okada, and because those policemen were also a part of the community, they “blend in and relaxed” the restrictions. He suggested that to avoid a repeat of that scenario, “each street should have taxis that you can stop, and with just N200 you move.”
In his assessment, when the government introduces the taxis, “the use of Okada will phase out naturally.”
The legal guru also warned that the ban could worsen the unemployment situation, and compels the Okada riders to go back to the streets and “compound problems for the police”. He pointed out that there would also be a surge in crime which the police may not be able to cope with. He advised the government to “think and do the right thing”.
Eguridu also posited that the ban could be a political tool to be used by the government to sway votes in their favour. He said past administrations were notorious for “lifting” bans on Okada when it was general election season. He urged the present government to not tow that path, but insist on the ban to address the killing of Sunday Imoh, in Lekki.
“The ban can also be a political tool. They ban Okada riders, but when election is approaching….it happened during Ambode’s time….you see LASTMA officials, Neighborhood Watch, and the rest of them….you see them looking the other way when people commit offense, because there is a “directive” to them not make the people angry.
“It’s something that usually happens in Lagos, but this time around if the government knows what is good for them, they should insist on the ban because what the Okada riders did in Lekki (killing of Sunday Imoh) that led to this recent directive, is something that must be addressed because this Okada is creating a nuisance because of the riders, not the Okada itself,” he explained.
Eguridu expressed worry that certain elements who are insurgents or criminals, were flooding the South, with a vast majority making Lagos their port of call. According to him, “They use Okada for a lot of evil things, and if the issue is not addressed seriously, it can lead to other problems.”
He said it was high time the government educated Lagosians more about the menace of Okada and why they are banned. He gave credit to the Commissioner of Police in the state who said the ban was not only as a result of the killing at Lekki, but because it (Okada) was becoming a serious security issue in Lagos.
In fulfillment of its earlier vow, the Lagos State Government on Friday crushed about 2,000 impounded motorcycles popularly known as Okada, at the Task Force’s Crushing Centre, Ikeja.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Frederic Oladeinde, explained that the idea was to prevent the Okadas from finding their way back into the streets.
Oladeinde, who supervised the crushing exercise, commended the security operatives for doing a great job in enforcing the total ban across all the affected 15 local councils.
Stating that the crushing was to demonstrate the government’s commitment to ridding the State of Okada menace, the commissioner added that Friday’s exercise brought to about 7,000 the total number of Okadas already crushed by the government in the last five months.
Disclosing that about 5,000 had earlier been crushed in the First Quarter of 2022, Oladeinde urged Lagosians to stop patronising Okada and to use the alternative First and Last Mile Buses provided by the government.
Responding to complaints from Apapa where the people are finding it tough due to the Okada ban, the commissioner advised that people should show more understanding as the directive was in the interest of all citizens of the State.
