The Lagos State chapter of the Kowa party has criticised the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu over his decision to ban commercial tricycles and motorcycles popularly known as Okada in some local government areas in the state, saying that the decision was not well-thought-after.
In a statement on Wednesday and signed by the party’s state chairman, Bimbo Oyedokun, a copy which was made available to BusinessDay, Oyedokun noted that the decision was hastily taken, while the Sanwo-Olu led-administration should have provided alternatives means of transportation for millions of residents across the state before arriving at the decision.
The party further said that Sanwo-Olu’s action was a further demonstration of the failure of similar policies by the state government, especially the ‘Visionscape’ and light rail project, while charging Lagosians to vote out the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming local government election and the 2023 general.
According to the statement, “There is no evidence that this action was properly planned, or that any serious thought was given to minimising commuters’ pain as a result.
“This could have easily been piloted in one or two LCDAs before being scaled up. It also highlights the absence of proper transportation architecture for the state.
“The light rail project remains a mirage more than a decade after it was started, yet is more expensive than similar projects in many parts of Africa which have been completed. The BRT scheme is grossly overstretched, yet one company maintains an inefficient monopoly over most of the routes. In clear terms, there is no evidence of any people-oriented development master plan for Lagos State.
“The shoddy, condescending manner in which the decision was communicated, and the heavy-handed implementation (courier companies are excluded from the ban, yet were targeted by enforcement agencies, which is indicative of a lack of respect for the citizens of Lagos. The almost comical attempts to explain the ban away on social media, made it even worse.
“This action also represents a shocking policy somersault that paints the state and the government as unserious. The governor was speaking glowingly about bike-hailing startups publicly just a few months ago, saying they would be integrated into the transportation system. Now, up to $100million of venture capital is reported to be at risk. This recalls the infamous “Visionscape” debacle where the LASG defaulted on a bond payment after the scheme collapsed, lowering the state’s credit rating, a cost that is being borne by tax payers.
“The needless suffering that Lagosians are experiencing due to this poorly conceived policy is a terrible way to reward them for allowing the APC to monopolise the political landscape of the state. We advise the people to remember this experience when the local government elections come around in 2021, and the general elections in 2023.”
Iniobong Iwok
