By Christy Anyanwu, Olakunle Olafioye, and Agatha Emeadi
The reality of Lagos State government determination to rid the state of the operation of commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada is gradually dawning on operators and residents of the state.
The state government had on August 18, extended the ban on the activities of Okada riders to four more local government areas and six local council development areas in the state.
The latest extension which began on September 1, affects Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Somolu and Mushin local government areas, as well as six local council development areas namely Ikosi-Isheri, Agboyi-Ketu, Isolo, Bariga, Odi-Olowo and Ejigbo.
The state government had in May this year banned the operation of commercial motorcyclists in six local council areas and nine LCDAs effective from June 1, blaming the decision on the surge in crime rate and accidents relating to this mode of transportation in the state.
Affected in the first phase were six LGAs, comprising Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, and Apapa, as well as all LCDAs under them.
By this latest extension, it means that activities of commercial motorcyclists have been officially banned in 25 out of the total 57 local council development areas and 10 of the 20 LGAs in the state. Presently, it appears the government may soon make the ban statewide following a recent stakeholders meeting where the general consensus favoured a total ban.
Sunday Sun findings from areas affected by the ban so far showed appreciable level of compliance which many observers attributed to the relentless efforts of the Lagos State Special Task Force.
The State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Fredrick Oladehinde at a forum recently revealed that no fewer than 7,500 motorcycles had been impounded and crushed since the enforcement of the phases ban began.
He warned recalcitrant operators against flouting government directives.
Expectedly, the ban has continued to generate mixed reactions among residents in the state.
The fear of job loss on the part of the riders and its possible aftermath of increase in crime rate have made many to call on the government to tread with caution in imposing a blanket ban on the activities of Okada riders in the entire state.
A resident of Oshodi-Isolo, Dr Lekan Olaniba hailed government’s decision to extend the ban to his area of residence and charged the government to sustain its enforcement to prevent a relapse.
“The ban on the operation of commercial motorcyclists is a welcome development. Considering the status of Lagos State, the state deserves a more decent transportation system compared to what we have now where Okada riders have almost taken over the entire roads in the state with its attendant menace.
“With the gradual phase out of commercial motorcycles on our roads, I think the government is heading in the proper direction. My fear, however, is that of possible fallout of job that will be lost on the part of the riders. So, the government should consider a way of cushioning the effect of the ban on the riders,” he admonished.
But the state government said that it has put an empowerment intervention scheme in place for residents of the state and urged commercial motorcycle operators affected by the ban to equally key into the scheme.
According to the Commissioner for Transportation, the intervention programme is being coordinated by six government ministries, as well as the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF).
Besides the fear of loss of jobs and its attendant fallouts, many residents are apprehensive that the alternative transport arrangement put in place by the state government may not serve the same purpose as commercial motorcycles in addition to the fear that it might be priced out of the reach of the masses.
The state government had advised residents to embrace alternative means of transportation it had provided for their journey, noting that they are safe and sustainable.
These include First- and Last-Mile Transport Scheme, BRT Scheme, e-Hailing Taxi Scheme among others.
A resident of the state, Mrs Stella Eguaroje, is one of the residents of the state who are nursing this fear.
“The only thing that is constant in life is change and that is what we are witnessing right now in this state. With the extension of the ban to some other areas not covered initially, I am of the opinion that it is only a matter of time before the ban will become a statewide affair.
“On my part, I will like to say that the new arrangement the government is planning to bring in should be made affordable to all and sundry. I remember when BRT was first introduced, it was very affordable and people were rushing to take it to their destinations, but later on the fare was jacked up and now BRT is almost competing, talking about the fare they charge now, with the yellow buses. Commercial motorcycle operators can charge as low as N100 and I doubt if the new transport system the government is proposing will ever charge that low,” Mrs Eguaroje observed.
Signs that the Lagos State government may have reached the Rubicon concerning the proscription of the operation of commercial motorcycles in the state came to the fore recently.
While announcing the latest ban extension, the state government reeled out what it termed the gains of the first phase of the ban to include reduction in Okada-related accidents, among others.
According the state government, the extension of the proscription order was a move to sustain the gains recorded in the ongoing action against Okada operations in the state.
The State Commissioner for Transport noted that Okada accidents and fatalities had reduced by 63.7 per cent across the 15 local councils where the first phase of the ban had been enforced, adding that the development had also significantly brought down the rate of crimes associated with motorcycles.
His words: “The state government has received empirical reports from the Ministry of Health, Lagos State Health Service Commission and Lagos State Police Command on accident and crime rates in order to analyse the impact of the ban on safety and security before and during the ban within the affected areas in the state.
“The data shows that the operation has significant gains and compliance rate in the affected areas as available records shows that crime and accident rates have reduced astronomically by 86 per cent and 63.7 per cent respectively within the period under review and a total of 7,500 motorcycles have been impounded and crushed accordingly, hence the need to sustain this achievement.”
But while the state government celebrates what he described as the gains of the ban on the operations of commercial motorcycles in the state, the directive has left a sour taste in the mouths of the riders who have continued to lament the ban.
Some of the riders who spoke to Sunday Sun said that the decision to ban the operation of commercial motorcycles in the state was meant at throwing the riders deeper into poverty, saying that the government has no any viable employment alternative in place for the displaced riders.
“A government that truly cares for its people will not deprive them of their means of livelihood without providing an alternative. But this is the state we find ourselves now. The first thing they (government) ought to consider in the first place is what pushed people into Okada business.
“It only makes sense that they address that first before they start thinking about banning Okada. They keep telling us that they have made alternative provision for the displaced riders. I challenge them to publish the names of riders that have been absolved into the scheme so far. You and I know that if such opportunity exists at all, politicians will hijack the process and politicize it. They will only consider their own people,” a commercial motorcycle operator, Sunday Oladimeji, told Sunday Sun.
The Chairman of Ejigbo branch of Commercial Motorcycle Riders Association, Asuquo Michael described the ban on as sledge hammer on the riders.
“The question is where do we start from? The government visited us with a sledge hammer and threw the baby away with bathwater. They did not consider the fact that not all riders are rough on the road and constitute a nuisance. This ban is bad business for me and my family especially because I know what I have already lost since the ban took effect,” he lamented.