Recent restriction on commercial motorcycle operation in Akure, Ondo State, takes toll on residents and business activities in the city, Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI, writes.
These are certainly not the best of times for commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called ‘okada riders’ in Akure, Ondo State, as they have been asked to desist from operating on some restricted routes in the capital city. The decision, which comes with dire consequences for defaulters, was said to have been taken to avoid crime in Akure and the state at large.
Our reporter, however, learnt that the action was not unconnected with last week’s protest by some okada riders in the state, who chased the Commissioner for Transport, Nicholas Tofowomon, out of his office.
The motorcyclists had staged a protest against the state government on what they tagged “government harsh transport policy” which directed them to go for a commercial number plate worth N8,000. They protested in major parts of Akure, including the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka condemning the new policy of the government. The placard-carrying protesters numbering over 2,000 mounted roadblocks on major roads in the metropolis, creating heavy traffic snarl, particularly along the Oba Adesida and Oyemekun roads.
Irked by the protest, which led to the destruction of government property, Governor Olusegun Mimiko was forced to ban the okada riders from plying major roads in the city. But in what seemed a step further, the government in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Rotimi Adelola, declared that all operations of okada should be halted in the state capital, accusing operators of being responsible for most criminal acts in the state.
“By the suspension, no commercial motorcycle operation will be allowed on the roads in Akure and connecting locations,” he added. “The state government has also suspended ticketing activities of commercial motorcycle operators in all parts of the state.”
The SSG noted that the government was also determined to get to the root of the protest by the okada operators. To this end, he disclosed that the government had set up an investigative panel to look into the causes of the protest and proffer solution to the agitation of the protesters.
He declared that the police and other security agencies in the state have been directed to impound all commercial motorcycles operating in Akure henceforth. However, Adelola maintained that “the brigandage and destruction by commercial motorcycle operators against registration and identification, which is a must for monitoring, management and security purposes was a condemnable act.”
According to him, the Mimiko administration, being a responsive and responsible government, committed to the protection of lives and property of all people and visitors alike, will not fold its arms and allow indiscipline, flagrant disobedience to law and order, loss of lives and property of innocent citizens of the state to continue unabated.
Despite the efforts of the state government to explain the circumstances leading to the ban, the implementation of the exercise remains a controversy of sorts.
Residents of Akure would never forget, in a hurry, their experience when they woke up to discover that okada had vanished from roads in the state capital. The memory of the stress they encountered on account of the initiative remains fresh, our correspondent gathered.
Abiodun Ayodele, a resident, captured the experience of many in a chat with TheNiche.
He said: “I still recall vividly trekking nearly two kilometres from my house to the office on foot after waiting in vain for either okada or taxi.
“Since virtually every worker in the city who is not mobile had the same experience that day, one would be right to say that offices in Akure and market places were technically shut that day, as most workers, market women and businessmen either did not come to work at all or came unusually very late.”
The challenges thrown up by the ban lingered throughout the week, as residents of Akure counted their losses. Many, particularly those who are not mobile and whose houses are far from taxi bus stops, were forced to trek some kilometres before getting to their places of work. The issue became worsened as security operatives took advantage of the situation by arresting both private and commercial motorcyclists found in any part of the town.
This action, it was further learnt, affected the commercial activities of the town, as traders who are not mobile resorted to staying at home in the early days of the okada ban.
An okada rider, who claimed to be a graduate, Johnson Akinduro, condemned the action of his colleagues in destroying government property, particularly the flowers planted along Oba-Adesida/Oyemekun Road.
He, however, remarked that the governor should have employed another disciplinary measures against them, rather than placing a ban on okada operation, which is one of the main means of transportation in the state.
“There are lots of ways of killing a fowl without shedding the blood. The decision taken by the governor was as if he had been looking for ways of dealing with people of the state, particular those who live in the state capital.
“I am not in the support of the okada riders’ action in destroying government property, but Mimiko should have known that banning okada is as bad as banning traders, market women and others from going to their places of work. In Akure, majority of the connecting streets are in bad shape, and there is no how taxi can get to those areas, hence people living there, find it difficult to get to their offices.
“My advice to the governor is that rather than banning okada riders, he should fine them. The government should liaise with the leaders that every member must pay a fine that will go to the government coffers before operating,” he said.
A resident of Ijoka, Banji Olarewaju, in narrating his experience, said he was forced to trek to his house, which is about two kilometres, and urged the government to have a rethink on its decision, as it has great effect on the residents.
Morakinyo Ogele, an activist, urged the Commissioner of Police, Isaac Eke, to caution his men, especially as they have seen the ban as an avenue to extort money from motorcyclists. He faulted the government on the action, arguing that the decision breached the constitution of the country.
He said: “The clampdown on okada riders is a breach of our constitution which guarantees freedom of association. Equally, it is depriving okada members’ right to live because that it is their source of living.
“The state government has no right to place ban on them because the association is registered under Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The governor is also breaching the constitution as regards right to peaceful demonstration.
“It is incumbent on any governor to obey the organic law of our constitution. To do this, if the governor is breaching the law which he has sworn to protect, this can amount to misconduct on the part of the government.”