Lagos Governor says Okada ban has been successful in curbing insecurity

The Lagos State Government has disclosed that its ban on Okada is already yielding benefits as Okada-related accidents have reduced from 550 a month to less than 100 and also insecurity related incidents including robberies and theft have also reduced tremendously in the state.

This was disclosed by Governor Babatunde Sanwo-Olu in an interview with Channels TV on Sunday.

The Governor said the state is also working with the Ogun State Government on security matters.

What governor Sanwo-Olu is saying

Speaking on its partnership with Ogun State government on security, Sanwo-Olu said, “We have a joint commission, the Lagos-Ogun Commission where we do things alongside transport and security approvals.”

“To speak directly to the Okada ban, we have seen tremendous improvements, in the areas which it has been banned.

“In fact, people have written to me to commend, saying they are not only seeing a drop in issues around insecurity but also a drop in accidents. We don’t see people having their limbs cut off because of reckless driving that hurt people.

“We have seen tremendous improvement in that area,” he added.

He added that in terms of casualties, at the peak of it, Lagos had about 550 okada-related accidents per month, which has now been reduced to 100 per month. He added that robberies in traffic have also reduced.

What you should know

• Recall that on May 18, 2022, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had announced a total ban of commercial motorcycle operators in 6 local government areas in the state.
• This came barely 2 days after a task force in the state embarked on a serious clampdown of Okada riders on the Lekki axis in a move that appears to be connected to the outrage that greeted the killing and burning of a young man, simply identified as David by suspected motorcyclists in the Admiralty area of Lekki, Lagos.
• The affected local government listed by the governor includes Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, and Apapa.
• The new directive from the governor appears to be a follow up to the February 2020 restriction placed on the activities of these commercial motorcyclists in these areas.
• Also earlier in June, the Lagos State Government inaugurated Anti-Okada Squad to further enforce the clampdown on commercial motorcyclists in the state which is in line with the Transport Sector Reform Law (TSRL), 2018.
• Nairametrics reported last week that the Lagos State Government has threatened to henceforth arrest and prosecute passengers who still patronize recalcitrant commercial motorcycle operators who still ply the banned routes, warning them to desist from such acts.
• It was also reported last month that the Federal Government said it considering a nationwide ban on motorcycle and mining activities in the country as part of its strategy to curb terrorist activities, as well as cut off their sources of funding and logistics which they have leveraged to execute their criminal activities.