As the Lagos State Government kicks-off the commencement of the ban on Motorcycles (Okada) and Tricycles (Keke), in some of the major roads in the state last the weekend , motorcyclists popularly known as Okada riders operating at the Apapa area of Lagos State have condemned the decision of the state government, even as freight forwarders, Customs officers and others stakeholders in Apapa have also chided Lagos State government for proscribing operations of commercial motorcyclists (Okada) and tricycle riders in the port city of Apapa.
Majority of Apapa stakeholders who spoke to our correspondents on the ban, condemn the action, with many appealing to the Lagos state government to take a special look at the peculiar situation of Apapa. They pleaded that since the access roads into Apapa have become very bad, the only means of transportation is motorcycles.
A freight forwarder, Mr Hakeem Sunkanmi told our correspondent that the only reliable means of transportation into Apapa from Mile 2 is okada, and that, the stretch from Mile 2 to Tin Can port is no longer motorable, he nevertheless expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for the reconstruction.
But, speaking to Shipping Position Daily correspondent, the Chairman of association of Okada riders in Apapa, Mr. Isiaka Jamil, said the decision of the government to ban Okada riders, especially in the Apapa area of the state where access to the port is a herculean task is condemnable. He predicted hardship on the part of the riders and commuters who have found okada to be indispensable in Apapa.
He lamented that more than 3, 000 okada riders will lose their jobs if the government does not revisit the decision.
Jamil stated that the fear of the ban has led some okada riders in Apapa who are from the northern part of the country to begin to relocate to the north, as they fear that their motorcycles might be seized by the Lagos State Task Force officials.
According to him, “We can never be in support of such a decision (ban on okada), we are not happy with the decision, because this is a source of livelihood for thousands of people, we are talking about more than 3000, now if the government says we should not operate, what else would they expect us to do, it is because there is no employment; that is why many of us are doing this job, for instance if they say we should not work again, are they going to by motor for us”.
“Some of us are already relocating to the north with our okada, because many just finished paying for them through installment, and they are afraid that the Lagos state task force will seize the Okada, so many of them told me they are going back to the north to continue with their farm, this is not good at all, we are pleading that our governor should consider this and review the law” he said.
Speaking also, a freight forwarder Mr. John Onyebuchi who work at the Tin Can axis of Apapa lamented that the ban on Okada will make it difficult for people to access the area, as he noted that accessing the Tin Can port through the use of a commercial vehicle will be a very difficult thing to do, while adding that timing is of importance to his business as a freight forwarder.
He noted that if the Lagos State government continues with the ban, there will be more pilfering in the ports as the riders will result to pilfering of cargoes to make ends meets since they already know Apapa.
An okada rider; Mr. Igwe John who plies Mile 2 down to Trinity Bus stop told our correspondent at Berger bus stop last week that the ban is an opportunity for the taskforce officials to extort money from the riders.
On his part, the President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Chief Increase Uche threw his weight behind the ban.
In his words “if Lagos state has said Okada riding and tricycle is not in their transportation plan, then we must comply because the law must take its root, if you are caught doing so, you have contravened the law and you must face the consequences, so if any freight forwarder says access to the port is not motorable, then let them fly”.
Some officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) who do not want their name in prints also condemned the decision as they confirmed that plying the road by bikes has been of great relieve to them and has helped them resume at their duty post on time.
In the same vein, the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) also condemned the decision of the Lagos State government for proscribing operations of commercial motorcyclists (okada) and tricycle riders in some local governments (LGs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state.
In a statement made available to our correspondent by the Coordinator Media and Publications, Adegboyega Otunuga, signed by the Executive Chairman Mr. Debo Adeniran, stated that problems associated with transportation in an ever-evolving mega city like Lagos, are too complex for such arbitrary approach.
Adeniran stated that “While we appreciate the flipside of condoning the operations of this mode of transportation in a largely cosmopolitan city like Lagos, we make bold to state that this path of resolving the crisis of transportation in Lagos was nothing new, even though it each time respective governments in the state woke up to this realisation, it has yielded more pains than relief the law or policy set out to achieve for the teeming population of private and public workers and others in the state.
“The rationale for this controversy is not far-fetched as it simply shows that the ban failed to address the causative factors that are responsible for such needs in the first instance, while the approach towards taming the debilitating factors attendant to their operations are only always punitive to all parties, rather than broker relief to the ordinary Lagosians who struggle, daily, to navigate most of the deplorable roads in their cars or anxiously wait at different bus-stops endlessly for vehicles to convey them to their places of destination for their daily survival”, the statement reads.
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