The Lagos State government says it has not given licence to any person or group to operate commercial services with motorcycles, otherwise known as okada.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Gbenga Omotosho, stated this during his appearance on Sunrise Daily.
“You are talking about registration; as far as I am concern, the government has not registered any company to come and be running okada,” he told Channels Television on Tuesday.
He added, “In fact, what the government was trying to look at is how to regulate these people so that their excesses can be curtailed.
“But as far as I know, nobody has been licenced to go and start running okada because it is unfortunate that … the rate at which people are dying; the rate at which people are being robbed on the roads; the police are worried, everybody is worried.”
He made the comments a day after the government announced that it would enforce the ban on motorcycles and tricycles (also known as keke) on major roads and bridges on February 1.
Omotosho explained that the State Security Council took the decision after a robust assessment of the debate on the rate of accidents in the state.
According to him, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) recorded about 104,000 accident cases involving the common Lagosians with broken arms and legs.
The commissioner stressed that a large number of those he called the poor people have asked the government to ban okada.
He noted that the areas with the highest figures of fatalities were areas dominated by a large population of poor.
Omotosho, however, said, “The guys who are doing courier services, for example, they don’t carry passengers and they don’t constitute so much danger. So, those ones are allowed.
“They have to be above 200cc and you have to have a box behind you that you are doing courier service and you don’t have to carry passengers; you have to be well-kitted and wear your helmet.”
