On Tuesday, January 2, some motorcyclists, popular as ‘okada’ riders were apprehended by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
When the video hit social media, many castigated the governor for arresting the erring riders who, according to their supporters, were in the process of finding their daily bread. The pleas of the arrested persons, including a lance corporal of the Nigerian Army, fell on deaf ears as Sanwo-Olu insisted on their arrest and subsequent jail. The debate among concerned Nigerians is what has led TOMI FALADE on this fact-finding report on why the ‘Okada’ problem persists, who benefits from their availability, and the dangers of their continued operations, reports Saturday Independent.
It was a hellish Christmas for Mr Olayinka Samuel and his wife, Mrs Temitope Samuel. About six weeks to the Christmas celebration, Mrs Samuel suffered a ghastly accident that saw her leg eventually amputated.
Speaking exclusively to our correspondent, Mrs Samuel, an event-cum-traditional wedding host (alaga) related the harrowing tale of how she became an amputee last Christmas.
According to her “The accident happened on November 11, 2023. I was on my way to work as an ‘alaga’ at an introduction ceremony in Ijagemo area. I didn’t take the car out that day, I decided to use a bike from my vicinity down to Ijegun. I then boarded another bike from Ijegun to Ijagemo. We had not moved too far when my okada overtook a 10-tyre tipper. When it got to the front of the tipper, the chain of the okada pulled off so the bike stalled. Unfortunately, the tipper was directly behind us and could not stop in time so it hit us and crushed my left feet.
“After the accident, I was taken to a private hospital in Ijagemo where I was rejected. They took me to Igando General Hospital where I spent two days outside because there was no bed space. From there I was transferred to Igbobi Hospital. After spending a few days there and doing a lot of tests, I was forcefully discharged because they went on strike. They referred me back to Igando, and when we got there, we found out that there was still no bed space.
“From Igando, I was taken to LASUTH. Through a good Samaritan, we were able to locate a private hospital where they did the amputation. The amputation itself cost N920,000, but we spent almost N2 million total at the different hospitals doing tests and the likes.”
The mother of three further revealed that her quality of life since the accident has been unbearable. “Presently, I’m in the house doing nothing. I only go to the hospital twice a week for dressing. We are still trying to raise money for the prosthetic leg because presently I cannot do anything on my own. My husband is out of a job for now, and my kids are also not going to school at the moment. At Igbobi, we were told that the prosthetic leg, depending on the exchange rate, is about N1.6 million. But I can only get one fitted after six months’ post-amputation so that the leg heals properly.
“The decision to amputate my leg was because they said that the chances of me ever using the leg was 50/50 because my feet and all of my toes were crushed. They asked us to get N9million to do three stages of operations, after which the chances of me walking would still be 50/50. It was not certain. They advised that the best decision was the amputation. Looking at where we were coming from, we could no longer afford that amount, and we opted for the amputation.”
Mrs Samuel is only one of the victims of the ‘okada’ riders menace.
Another housewife, simply known as Tundun was on her way to pick her children from school in Alausa when she discovered heavy traffic on Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja. To beat the traffic, she boarded an okada, who tried to ferry her past a red light. Unfortunately, a dirt truck fully possessing the right of way, and not seeing the okada, crushed Tundun to death. She never made it to a hospital.
These stories abound and even though several attempts have been made, the government has never been able to effect a total ban on the operations of ‘okada’ across the state.
It would be remembered that successive governments in the state had banned ‘okada’ in many local governments of the state.
In May 2022, Gov. Sanwo-Olu had announced that as from June 1, 2022, commercial motorcycles were totally banned in 10 LGAs including Oshodi-Isolo, Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, Apapa, Kosofe, Somolu and Mushin.
At the time, it was revealed that 45 per cent of the accidents in Lagos were caused by okada. The goal was to have a proper megacity with better modes of transportation.
An unnamed nurse working at Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital, while analyzing the number of okada-related accident cases that they treat said, “Before the okada ban, you would not find a space to stand in Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital accident and emergency wards. It was a per-minute thing. As some were being moved, even for test, others were taking their places. There was no down time. But immediately after they enforced the ban on motorcycles in the state, there has been almost a 100 per cent decrease.”
Speaking with our correspondent, the Special Adviser to Gov Sanwo-Olu on Transport, Sola Giwa, stated categorically that okada is not a means of commercial transportation in Lagos. He said, “Lagos is the smallest but most prosperous state in Nigeria, and that is due to the infrastructure and security that we have in place, thanks to the good governance provided by the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. This means that our success is our nemesis. The more we provide security, good health services, good schools, and other amenities, the more people drift to Lagos through rural–urban movement, and there is nothing we can do about it.
“For example, the vehicular density of Lagos State in comparison to that of the entire nation is so wide. In parts of the nation, you will find 40 vehicles per kilometer. In Lagos, you will find 342 vehicles per kilometer.
“The law on okada has been in place since the time of Fashola. Motorcycles are not a means of commercial transportation in Lagos. What we provide in Lagos is mass transit, which is why we are providing bigger buses, large boats, and trains. The law stipulates that motorcycles are not to ply highways. But if you must use a motorcycle for personal activities, like courier services, it has to be 220 cc capacity or power bike. In trying to be flexible, we allowed that in some local governments that we know are hinterlands.”
On the enforcement of the law problem, Giwa stated that those who are supposed to enforce the law also break it.
“Imagine a policeman with a gun cannot take a public vehicle, and he is given a motorbike to move, but only while in uniform. But these people who are supposed to help us enforce, flout the laws. How is it possible for a LASTMA official to arrest a police officer who has a gun or a soldier in the Nigerian army? This is also because when such arrests are made, the erring rider is supposed to be taken to the police station. That is a dilemma.
“But, we are making headway. We had a meeting with the new Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Adegoke Fayoade, who has promised us that he is going to descend on them. He has committed to this. Once we start with those charged with the enforcement of the law, we will see a lot of improvement.”
It would be recalled that the new Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fayoade on Thursday announced to journalists in Lagos that he was determined.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade has expressed his determination to deal ruthlessly with anybody that flout the government order on ‘okada’ ban, saying it will no longer be business as usual for the perpetrators of evil in the state. He stressed that the Command will be more aggressive on ensuring compliance on the Okada riders in the state.
He gave this assurance while address journalists who cover the crime beats under the aegis of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria, (CRAN) on Thursday.
His words: “The enforcement of Okada will be more aggressive this time because most crimes are committed with Okada.”
For families like The Samuels that have been negatively impacted, it has become imperative that the ban be enforced.
The Samuels are also seeking assistance from kind-hearted Nigerians home and abroad to support them so that the mother of three, her children and the jobless husband can live a normal life again.
Mr Samuel, husband to the victim, explained that the incident has changed the fortunes of the family. He said, “When the issue happened because I work in the private sector, the organisation I work with let me go because I am not able to be productive. They gave me a compulsory two-week leave, and before the time elapsed, they employed another manager. But I am grateful that my wife is alive.
“I think that the government needs to create a total ban. Sanwo-Olu arresting those okada men was the right move. The next thing is a total ban. The havoc they wreck is a lot. The dangers outweigh the benefits.
“Now we are dependent on the help of the church and good Samaritans. We still need a lot of help and assistance because my wife cannot work in her state.”
A tearful Mrs Samuel concluded that “Okada has done more harm than good, and the government needs to step in. In Igbobi, there are so many okada accident cases. A lot of people have died through this. Look at me here now, so useless. I cannot do anything on my own, everything is at a standstill. Government can eradicate okada if they want to, at least to reduce the way people are dying.
“These okada men know how to extract themselves from these situations, they are never affected. The rider who put me in the front of the trailer only had a cut on his hand that was immediately stitched and he was discharged. But here I am.”
