The candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC for Lagos State House of Assembly in Somolu Constituency 1, Hon. Abiodun Orekoya has described the ban on Okada in Lagos state as logical and a right step in the right direction.
Orekoya, a former commissioner at the Lagos State Local Government Service Commission noted that it could only be logical for the government to take the decision after thorough examination records of the health facilities and other critical factors in the state.
He made this assertion while speaking on "Curtailing The Menace of Okada Riders" in an interview with Lagos Today on Lagos Television on Monday.
He noted that the government realized that after the initial ban of okadas in some areas, accident rate due to commercial motorcycles (Okadas) dropped by 63 per cent, while crime rate also dropped by 83 per cent.
According to Orekoya, any right thinking person knows that the government should definitely go ahead with the ban.
The former Executive Secretary and Vice Chairman of Somolu local government said, "Some people use this "Okada" for crime and that's why the crime rate has dropped now after the ban but now there are some people who are genuinely using this business to feed their families.
"We have them around us in our communities and those people will definitely be affected, but we can't say because of those people we will allow the crime rate to go unchecked and that is why we can't say otherwise the government has taken the right step in the right direction".
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"It is our duty as community leaders to look into the people in our constituency that have traceable identity, we are aware that there are people in that business for fraud but there are some people who are doing it for economic reasons"
"I have held a meeting with the people who have had traceable identities in his community," he added.
Recall that following the recent ban on Okada, some residents have hailed Lagos State Government over enforcement of the ban on Okada operations in selected Local Government Council Areas of the state, while others lamented over the attendant consequences.
The residents, who tasked the government with providing alternative means of livelihood for affected riders and commuters, expressed their plight as the state Government began the enforcement of the extended ban on four local governments and six Local Council Development Areas.
The affected local governments are:Kosofe, Osodi Isolo, Somolu and Mushin,while the LCDAs are: Agboyi Ketu Ikoai,/ Isheri,Isolo,Bariga and Odi Olowo.
Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, at an inter-ministerial media briefing on preparedness for commencement of the phase 2 total ban on Okada operations within four new LGAs and respective LCDAs in the state, at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, warned that there would be no "sacred cows as no one would be spared during enforcement."
As a deterrent, riders and passengers risk a three-year jail term for violation.
