THAT our nation is challenged on many fronts may be a trite observation; from economic challenges in the form of a cost of living crisis and the growing inability of many Nigerians to afford things they once took for granted to existential threats posed by kidnapping, banditry, insurgency and terrorism, it is obvious that these are not the best of times for Nigeria and Nigerians. Even the rich are also crying.
People say once a problem is known, it is already half-solved. Threats already identified in the economic and security spheres are being dealt with, or ignored as the managers of our affairs see fit, leaving one to wonder why the Nigerian state cannot eradicate the scourge of terrorism from our lands the way a surgeon excises a disturbing growth from the body of a patient.
However, there exists another problem that, in my reckoning, has not been detected or appreciated as a threat. That problem is the one posed by those who use motorcycles for transport. We call them Okada riders.
Those who can remember might recall that the use of motorcycles as a mode of commercial transportation began in the South-South states, where they were called aka-uke, or alo-alo. By the mid-90s, the use of motorcycles for transportation spread to Lagos and other Southern states. In Lagos, I recall, it was at Ijesha Bus-stop along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway that I first noticed okada riders in 1995. Okada riders, before, were mostly unemployed men and school leavers who could lay their hands on a motorcycle, and then used it to earn a living.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Between then and now, it had become an industry of its own. Lots of Nigerians are now engaged in the importation of fully-built motorcycles of various brands from diverse countries, with their replacement parts, lubricants, tyres and what have you. As the industry grew, operators responded, first by forming unions like MOALS (Motorcycle Owners Association of Lagos), ACOMORAN (Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle, Tricycle, Repairers and Riders Association of Nigeria, MOUN (Motorcycle Operators Union of Nigeria), and ROMO (Riders and Owners of Motorcycle Organizations).
The major transport unions, NURTW (National Union of Road Transport Workers) and RTEAN (Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria) have since coerced these okada unions to affiliate with them. But that is as far as normalcy has gone, if anything like that is normal. About a decade ago, a trend started emerging. Slowly but steadily, immigrants from all over West Africa found in Nigeria a safe haven. As they come into the country, usually on trucks carrying livestock -- cows, goats and rams, they landed in major towns and cities of Southern Nigeria.
Then they locate the nearest mosque and find shelter there. A few days after arrival, as if by magic, they get a motorcycle to ride and this becomes their major occupation. The influx of these immigrants is so much that they have completely displaced locals who were in the okada riding vocation. Now, in virtually all towns and cities of Southern Nigeria, at least eight in 10 okada riders are immigrants. The people call them aboki, or mala in the erroneous belief that they are Northerners. But the truth is that many of them do not speak or understand any orthography that is Nigerian, including Hausa.
They do not rent houses to live in, preferring to sleep in open spaces, or uncompleted buildings. In addition, they have decided to use the roads by their own rules, not that of the state as they regularly drive against traffic with impunity, and never stop at traffic lights. Woe betide the motorist who jams one of them. Recently, a friend had an accident with one of them. The rider, as they commonly do, suddenly did a u-turn and the vehicle couldn't stop in time until there was a collision. The rider's colleagues descended on my friend, brought out knives from their armpits, and shredded all the tyres of my friend's car. Not done, they used stones and pieces of wood to shatter the car's windows and mangled the body. Fearing he would be lynched, my friend abandoned his car and ran for dear life. It cost an arm and a leg to repair the car.
From what can be observed, there are people of means, already established residents in Nigeria who import motorcycles and give to these immigrants to ride. Who are they? Why bring in immigrants if they must do okada business? Why not use locals -- our people? What is worse is that these okada riders and their sponsors have chosen to operate outside the law. Most of their okadas are not registered; they are mostly without number plates. In the event of a negative interaction, there is no way anybody, including the Police, can trace a particular motorcycle rider. How does the state look on and somebody buys a vehicle, uses it on roads made by government, and still refuses to register it? No driving license, no vehicle license!
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Now the embryos of future conflagrations are being incubated. These immigrant okada riders have also formed their own transport unions, populated by them alone. They are now refusing supervision by the legally-established unions. We know how those people conduct their affairs -- by muscle, grit, iron, and blood. I am apprehensive that in many towns and cities here in the South, bloodbaths may start occurring if the authorities do not redetermine the situation. In Lagos, the task force has seized thousands of motorcycles, but the riders are back on the roads on new motorcycles almost immediately after. How do they do it? I hereby call on the governments of states in Southern Nigeria to take a closer look at the okada phenomenon with a view to preventing gnashing of teeth in future. TGIF.
