Lagos mulls total ban as Okadas return to highways

The Lagos State Government has lamented the persistent operations of Okada riders on the highways in Lagos where they have been banned.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, expressed this concern during a dialogue with journalists in Ikeja on Friday, asking whether Okada should be totally banned in the entire state or not.

Addressing questions at the programme with the theme ‘Joint Citizens’ Media Engagement Forum,’ Omotoso said motorcyclists kept returning to the areas where they were banned, especially on the highways and bridges, saying it is “a very controversial matter.”

“The government keeps taking them off the road and you wonder where the new ones are coming from,” he told the gathering.

Omotoso stressed, “Don’t forget, Okada is not banned all over Lagos, they are banned on major highways, on bridges and in some local governments. So, where they are not banned, they are free to operate. But where they are banned, like on the highways in Mile 2 and others, every time, the Task Force goes there to seize the Okada from them.

“Unfortunately, some human rights organisations feel that Okada is a human rights symbol and should be allowed to move freely in the state, I think this is not responsible for us.”

Omotoso lamented that despite the ban, “you still find Okada riders on the bridges, riding against the traffic, even on Eko Bridge, and the more you take them off the street, the more they come. As I have said, Lagos is a victim of its own success.

“So there is a new controversy now, should Okada be totally banned everywhere in Lagos or should we stick to this gradual withdrawal? So I will leave it to you, journalists, through your various channels, to let us know the opinions on whether Okada should go (totally or not).

“Because once there is a total ban, the excuse of riding where it was not banned will be out of it.”