The Lagos State Government has announced a phased ban on the activities of commercial motorcycle services in the state, starting with 6 Local Government areas.
At a meeting with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Area Commanders, and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in the State, at State House, Alausa, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated that the ban is indefinite and total.
The six LGAs to experience the total ban from the 1st of June, 2022 are Ikeja Local Government, Surulere Local Government, Eti-Osa Local Government, Lagos Mainland Local Government, Apapa Local Government, and Lagos Island Local Government.
The state government with this new directive has made escalated the initial restrictions that were put in place in February 2020, in a move that might be a reaction to the recent lynching of a 37-year-old man in Lagos State, after an altercation with Okada riders.
The governor stated that “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 Government and their Local Council Development Areas, effective from June 1, 2022.”
He also stated that “We will not sit back and watch criminally-minded people use that mode of transportation (motorcycles) to perpetrate crimes and criminality in Lagos. Lives are being lost on a daily basis, preventable accidents are happening every day and the riders are not respecting any of our traffic laws.”
Meanwhile, a prominent Hausa Community leader in the state, the Seriki of Obalende, Saliu Waziri, amongst other Hausa leaders in the state has called on the State Government to reverse the ban. In his appeal he said that the trade should be regulated, rather than proscribed. He also cited votes generated by the riders in the state, saying that: “Some of our members stay here in Lagos and vote during elections. That should count for something because we contribute to votes during elections. The government should change the system of Okada riders not stopping them.”
However, there are mixed reactions to the ban, as some Lagosians are dreading the effect on the already insufficient transport infrastructure in the state, plagued by heavy traffic, and insufficient and decrepit vehicles.
Some Lagosians are however petitioning the government to completely ban Okada riders in the entire state.
