Okada Ban: Hausa Community Threaten Sanwo Olu, Says They Have Voting Population; Urge Him To Rescind Ban

By Akinwale Kasali

The Hausa Community in Lagos State has urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to rescind his decision on the ban of commercial Motorcycles popularly known as Okada in Six Local Government Areas in the State.

Sanwo-Olu had announced the total ban of Commercial  Motorcycles operation during a meeting with Police Chiefs in Lagos in Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, and Apapa.

The fresh Okada ban followed the February 2020 restriction placed on the activities of commercial motorcycles.

Sanwo-Olu said the Government took the decision in line with the State’s Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 to immediately address the chaos and menace created by the operations of Okada in the listed areas.

He told the Police to enforce the order without compromise.

“After a critical review of our restriction on Okada activities in the first six Local Government Areas 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.

“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. We have given the notice now and we expect all commercial motorcycles plying the routes in the listed councils and areas to vacate the highways before enforcement begins. The enforcement will be total.”

However, the Seriki of Obalende, Waziri Saliu has advised the Lagos State Government to have a rethink on the decision as Okada Riders who hail from the Northern Part of the country contribute significantly to the voting population in the State and should not be economically strangulated.

Waziri added that the LASG should get the data of all Okada Riders in the State, especially in the aforementioned area where the ban is taking center- stage and fish out the criminally minded ones, rather than the total ban where innocent ones are affected.

This issue has taken us a long time and we have been trying to put our members on the line. I want to advise the Government to rethink its decision because Lagos can’t operate without bikes because of traffic.

“Government should register Okada riders in each local government to know those working in any local government. By so doing, the government would know who to pick when any issue arises.

“Some of our members stay here in Lagos and vote during elections. That should count for something because we contribute to votes during elections. The government should change the system of Okada riders not stopping them.”

Waziri, however, ruled out the possibility of taking any legal action against the State Government.

The Seriki Hausa of Ajah, Ibrahim Ngoma, agreed with his Obalende counterpart that the Government should consider the voting population of Hausa Okada riders in Lagos.

“Truth be told, Governor Sanwo-Olu has been understanding with Okada people unlike Governor (Babatunde) Fashola. Okada members should obey the law while I appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu to look into the matter and lift the ban before the election because the ban is affecting my people,” he said.

In a chat with The PUNCH, leader of the Hausa community in Lagos, Iliyasu Kira, pleaded with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to reverse the ban.

According to the Seriki Hausa in Shasha in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos, the voting population of the Hausa Okada riders in Lagos is not something the government want to joke with.

He said, “I appeal to the government to leave Okada riders to continue their operations. These Okada riders help the government during elections with votes. Our voting population in Lagos constitutes over 2.7 million because most of us vote here in Lagos. We are not all bad people.

“Many of our people are Okada riders in Lagos. If the government claims that robbers are rampant among Okada riders, then the government should sieve out the criminals. The government should provide replacement for our members affected by the ban.

“We don’t have the power to start any legal case with the government. This is why I am appealing with the government to reconsider the ban.”

The total ban of Commercial Motorcycles

is coming days after Okada riders killed a young man, David  Imoh, a 36-year old Sound Engineer in the Lekki area of Lagos State over N100 balance.

It was learnt that the victim, who was a sound engineer, was lynched and burnt to death after a misunderstanding ensued over the N100 balance with one of the commercial motorcyclists from Northern extraction.