By Valentine Amanze
Businesses at Ikeja, the Lagos State capital, on Saturday, February 2020, suffered low patronage as a result of the ban cum restriction on the operation of commercial motorcyclists (Okada) and tricycle operators in the major roads and some parts of the city.
The popular computer village (market) in Ikeja was a shadow of itself as few people could make it to the market as late as 4:00pm on Saturday.
The major road near the market, Awolowo road, was free of traffic.
Neither motorcycle nor tricycle was seen operating in the area, while people were seen trekking to their destination.
Those spoken to at Ikeja lamented the transport situation in Lagos.
For instance, John Eze, a computer dealer in Ikeja, said that the government did not provide alternative before the ban.
He also said that most of the roads were bad for buses or cars to operate on them, while appealing to the government to flood Lagos with its own commercial buses.
But, as early as 6.30am, police and some other law enforcement agents were seen arresting Okada riders and tricycle operators at Okota area of Lagos.
At Cele Bus Stop along Oshodi-Apapa Express around 5:00pm, Keke operators were seen doing business as usual.
At Alakija and FESTAC ends of the state, law enforcement agencies had their men stationed at strategic places to enforce the directive.
In keeping to the order, the riders, were equally off the road.
Our Reporter gathered that in a bid to avoid outright ban in their operations, the various units of the riders’ associations, had advised their members to lie low or change routes, pending the time the import of the government’s action will be fully understood.
An Okada rider, Abdul Mukaila, who spoke to our Reporter, put their dilemma thus, “We just de wait them. They tell us for our union to stay at home or change route till the time government go tell us what to do”.
At Ojuelegba, Yaba axis of the state, the compliance was over 90 percent, TheNiche learnt. While some residents argue that the ban/restrictions would restore sanity on the roads, some disagree, adding that it would add to the already high cost of transportation in the state.
Among the councils affected, were, Ikeja, Apapa, Mainland, Lagos Island. The roads included in the ban are Oshodi-Apapa, Ikorodu, Lagos-Badagry highways. Apongbon, Amuwo-Odofin, Third Mainland Bridges were also declared no-go areas for Okada and Keke riders.
The order commenced on February 1.
The state government insisted that the ban was for the greater good of the state.
According to the Director of Transport Operations at the Ministry of Transportation, Gbolahan Toriola, the initiative was expected to help reduce traffic congestion on the highways.
Toriola also stated that as an alternative, the state government was working on bringing in smaller buses to ply inner routes.