Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Since February 1, one name that has been on the lips of most
Lagosians has been that of the governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. If you
reside in Lagos, you will know the name Sanwo-olu did not come up in
conversations in praises but in condemnation and tongue-lashings by
angry and frustrated residents who have had to deal with a hectic
transport situation in the last two days after the government had a week
earlier announced the ban of the operation of commercial motorcyclists
(Okada) and tricyclists (Keke Maruwa) on major roads, highways and
bridges in 15 Local Council Areas of the State.
The month started on a very frustrating note for many Lagosians who
usually rely on public transportation to get to their various places of
business and work. For the many that rely on Okada to escape the hectic
Lagos traffic, the Okadas were nowhere to be found. For those that
consider entering buses, unfortunately, the drivers have chosen to take
advantage of the chaos to hike the fares.
The biggest hit from the present troubling situation has been taken
by the thousands of commercial motorcycle riders, better known as Okada
who have been rendered jobless from the recent ban. Not only is their
source of livelihood being denied them, the Lagos State Task Force went
ahead to confiscate hundreds of bikes in several areas of Lagos.
Following the ban, there was pandemonium in areas including Ijora,
Maryland, Ikeja, Apapa, Oyingbo and Yaba as Okada and Keke riders
protested and clashed with security agents. Roads were blocked and tyres
burned in the middle of the road thereby blocking other commuters from
getting an already frustrating situation.
The decision to restrict the Okada and Keke riders has not gone
down well with many Lagosians who waited at several bus stops for hours
trying to board the few available buses to get to their places of
businesses. Many lamented how they had to trek long distances and pay
higher fares as a result of the ban while some even claim the
government’s decision is elitist and targeted at the poor.
Lagosians are not happy with Sanwo-Olu. I was in a bus yesterday
and people were discussing the whole situation. A man who looked like he
was in his early 50s condemned the governor for carrying out the
policy. Another man sitting right beside me blamed the governor for the
long hours he had to spend at the bus stop before finally being able to
board this bus. From the back seat, I could hear others condemning the
governor’s party for being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians as a
whole.
To be fair, this is really no fault of Sanwo-Olu. The governor who
has never openly declared he was going to ban the operation of Okadas,
is only putting to effect a law that has been enacted since 2012 by the
then government of Babatunde Fashola.
On its part, the government believes that the unrestricted and
unregulated operation of the Okada and Keke Maruwa has accounted for
several robberies and kidnappings while also being responsible for many
road accidents in the State. The government also claim that the
restriction of movement will help ease the traffic situation in the
State
For a city with a population of about 20million and notorious for
heavy traffic jams, Okadas and Keke Maruwas have become the most common
form of public transport. People rely on them because they ply the
streets and hard-to-reach areas where buses and taxis are unable to go.
The government ought to have put effect palliatives such as workable
alternative transport system before banning them.
As it is, several people who will suffer from the ongoing ban
including the Okada and Keke Maruwa riders, and their beneficiaries.
Businesses that are built on the sales of Okada and Keke Maruwa, as well
as parts, will also suffer, leading to owners of such businesses either
downsizing staff strength or shutting down.
We cannot overemphasize the struggles of the average Lagosians who
will now have to pay more for bus fares to get to their place of work or
business. Some people who could not trek long distances were even seen
yesterday hiring horses as a means of transportation in the
Maryland-Ikeja area.
I can’t help but feel sad for the motorcycle-hailing startups who
will likely have it worse. You can bet startups like Oride, Gokada and
Max.ng would have invested millions of nairas in their respective
businesses only for the government to come up with this policy. These
startups together have a workforce of several thousand of people who are
now likely going to be thrown out of their jobs.
Victor Enengedi,
Lagos
08063274521, 08097614101
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