The Lagos State Government has banned commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada, from operating in six Local Government Areas (LGAs)of the state.
According to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who announced the ban during a meeting with police chiefs in the state, it is “total and indefinite.”
The affected LGAs are: Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, and Apapa.
“After a critical review of our restriction on Okada activities in the first six LGAs where we restricted them on February 1, 2020, we have seen that the menace has not abated. We are now directing a total ban on Okada activities across the highways and bridges within these six local government and their local council development areas, effective from June 1, 2022,” he said.
He explained that the ban would be extended to other areas of the state within a short while.
“This is a phased ban we are embarking on this period, and we expect that within the short while when this ban will be enforced, Okada riders in other places where their activities are yet to be banned can find something else to do,” the governor added.
Sanwo-Olu, who maintained that the recent move is in line with the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018, called on the police to enforce the ban without compromise.
The governor advised residents of the state patronising Okada riders on the highways to embrace alternative means of transportation provided by the government. This, he said, becomes important, as motorcycles are an unsafe mode of transportation.
“We have provided Last-Mile buses in the affected areas; they are working and effective. We also have medium-capacity buses and high-capacity buses working in these areas. Before the end of the year, we are also bringing the rail along these corridors with their terminals. We have provided jetties as well to provide alternatives,” Sanwo-Olu reiterated.
“We will not sit back and watch criminally-minded people use that mode of transportation (motorcycles) to perpetrate crimes and criminality in Lagos. Lives are being lost on a daily basis, preventable accidents are happening every day and the riders are not respecting any of our traffic laws.
“The situation has led to a complete breakdown of law and order. This ban has come to stay and we will not tolerate any weakness in enforcement.”
This is not the first time the state will be announcing a ban on motorcycle operations in the state. Before now, the ban by the Lagos State government affected six major local governments, nine LCDAs, 10 major highways, 40 bridges and flyovers.