• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Sanwo-Olu’s ‘will’ and the ban on Okada

Sanwo-Olu’s ‘will’ and the ban on Okada

Anyone who took to the road in some parts of Lagos State on June 1 would have noticed that something was missing. Commercial motorcycle riders, also known as Okada, which have become a major feature on Lagos roads, were visibly gone and there was an unusual increase in the number of the task force, security, and road transport officials.

It is now over a week and it does appear that the Lagos State government ban on Okada is in full swing. Sanwo-Olu seems to be holding out on this issue.

As of June 3, the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Taskforce), claimed it had achieved 85 percent compliance with the commercial motorcycle ban in the six local governments where commercial motorcycling was banned. The six local governments include: Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Ikeja, Apapa, Eti-Osa, and Surulere, and nine LCDAs attached to the LGAs.

The elections are around the corner, the Lagos government needs to decide where its heart is, building a new legacy for a greater Lagos, or like the previous administrations, make false starts and in the process retain the status quo in the name of winning the election

Shola Jejeloye, chairman of the taskforce, said the first three days constituted a test-run, and had planned to ensure full compliance from Monday, June 6, 2022. The chairman also said the taskforce was going to crush an additional 2,228 motorcycles that had been seized from their riders.

While 85 percent compliance seems impressive and the rhetoric from the state officials appears to be hitting the right notes, no one will forget that similar bans have been imposed by past Lagos administrations and compliance failed to hold up in the long run. Therefore, what is different with Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration on this issue, this time around.

It would be recalled here that the bans go all the way back to Bola Ahmed Tinubu who in the year of his exit as governor decided to give Lagosian a parting gift by banning Okada riders in 2007.

Tinubu’s immediate successor, Babatunde Fashola also announced an Okada ban in March 2012. After Fashola, it was the turn of Akinwunmi Ambode’s government to ban Okada riders in 2017.

Even the current ban is Sanwo-Olu’s second attempt in less than four years his administration has spent. The incumbent governor announced the first ban in February 2020. We ask again, what has changed? Is there enough ‘will’ to implement this intractable issue, this time around?

We believe that one of the reasons why the previous bans have not achieved desired results is the lack of adequate provisions made for the riders. Commercial motorcycle riding may have spawned bad narratives, but it was a source of income for the hundreds of riders and their families.

In that sense, it provided some level of employment for these riders. Thus, placing a ban on the source of income of these riders without plans to have them gainfully engaged, makes it easy for them to be lured back once the authorities relax their vigilance.

Also, Okada riders are so popular with many Lagosians because of the poor road infrastructure and the lack of a multi-modal transport system in the state. Many roads across the state are in very bad shape and the government’s inability to tackle flooding also means that during the rainy seasons, commercial buses are, in the main, unavailable in most areas, hence, Lagosians have to rely on Okada riders to get to their respective destinations. The serious tackling of these issues will be a major step to achieving a long-lasting solution to the Okada riders’ menace.

Read also: Lagos’ war on Okada: What next after the ban?

Finally, we wish to advise that the ‘will’ of the governor must transcend political gains. Past administrations have utilised Okada riders for political campaigns and voter mobilisation.

There have also been stories that some of the Okada riders were used as political thugs to coerce voters into backing a preferred candidate. The elections are around the corner, the Lagos government needs to decide where its heart is, building a new legacy for a greater Lagos, or like the previous administrations, make false starts and in the process retain the status quo in the name of winning the election.

Governor Sanwo-Olu must do his best to desist from this short-run personal relief. Luckily enough, we believe that by and large, in the last four years, he has done his utmost best to ensure a second term.

Consequently, he does not need to pander to the dynamics of cosmetic populism in the forthcoming elections. He should therefore stay the course as regards the current ban on Okada.