FRSC, Police demand ban on commercial motorcyclists in Lagos

Akpoyibo made the plea last week at a one day public hearing on “The activities of commercial motorcycle riders on Lagos roads that took place at the Lagos State House of Assembly lobby. Represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operation), Mr Vincent Brown,  Akpoyibo explained that motorcycle accidents in the state is mind boggling, […]

Akpoyibo made the plea last week at a one day public hearing on “The activities of commercial motorcycle riders on Lagos roads that took place at the Lagos State House of Assembly lobby.

Represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operation), Mr Vincent Brown,  Akpoyibo explained that motorcycle accidents in the state is mind boggling, noting that between January and May this year, Police has recorded 523 cases of motorcycle accidents.

 According to him, the majority of okada riders in Lagos did not learn how to ride the motorcycles before they started using them as means of transportation, adding, “More okada riders have been involved in criminal activities in the state.”

He said virtually all operators engaged in carelessness, recklessness and poor attitude to traffic rules stressing that activities of the riders negate the Road Traffic Act, Nigeria Highway Code and the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) rules.

Contributing, Mr Jona Agu supported the call by the police, stating that, in 2009, 1,084 okada accidents were recorded by his sector. He said it was necessary for the state government to consider banning commercial motorcyles as a means of transportation in places like Ikeja, Ikorodu, Victoria Island and Ikoyi.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Professor Bamidele Badejo and the Special Adviser to Lagos governor on Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa unanimously condemned okada as a means of transport in Lagos. They argued that nowhere in the world is okada approved as a means of transport.

Badejo, however, indicted leadership of the 20 local government areas and the 37 local council development areas in Lagos as being those encouraging increase in the number of commercial motorcyles on Lagos roads. “They collect levy from each rider everyday and turn away their eyes from the effects of high number of motorcycle plying Lagos roads,” he said.

 Opeifa disagreed with the call to regulate okada operations in Lagos. According to him, there are over 800,000 okada riders operating on Lagos roads everyday adding, “Enacting a law for their operation will mean legalising illegality”. However, he said the call for outright ban on okada operation in Lagos is laced with socio and political problems.

Earlier, the Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji described the public hearing as a meeting to review existing laws on transportation in the state to rub minds on the menace of okada riders on Lagos roads and not to enact a new law on okada operation in the state.