Lagos State Set To Review Okada Ban

Commercial motorcycle riders in Lagos State, western Nigeria, may soon have cause to rejoice as the state House of Assembly has agreed to review some of the roads where their operations had been previously restricted.

This stand by the members of the House followed constant complaints about police harassments and intimidation by the okada riders on approved routes.

The House also called on the state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to immediately alert the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, on the need to urgently call his men to order following complaints about indiscriminate arrest of the riders in their legal areas of operation.

The House said it had become important to revisit the law and list of restricted routes so they could be amended where possible to avoid the conflicts between the police and commercial motorcycle operators which had resulted in alleged exploitation by some of the security agents.

According to the lawmakers, most of whom protested against the way the law enforcement agents had carried out the implementation of the law, the law, as passed in 2012, was aimed at reducing recklessness on the part of road users and not for the purpose of exploitation by those to implement it.

•Commercial motorcycle riders (Okada) in Lagos before their restriction.

While appealing to motorcycle riders to continue to respect the law, the House said it would do everything to defend them against continued abuse by security and paramilitary agents in the state.

The resolution of the House followed a motion sponsored by 10 lawmakers led by Sanai Agunbiade representing Ikorodu Constituency 1.

The other lawmakers involved in the sponsorship of the motion include the Majority Leader, Dr. Ajibayo Adeyeye, Bisi Yusuf (Alimosho 1), Moshood Oshun (Lagos Mainland 2), Rotimi Olowo (Somolu 1), Mudashiru Obasa (Agege 1), Adebimpe Akinsola (Ikorodu 2), Hakeem Masha (Lagos Island 1), Olumuyiwa Jimoh (Apapa 2) and Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2).

In the motion, they called on the governor to urgently act in that regard to save the residents of the state from harassments by the police and other such agencies. Agunbiade had, during his argument, complained that the mode of implementation of the law by the police was giving the state government a bad name.

The Lagos State House of Assembly had in 2012 enacted the state Road Traffic Law that placed a total ban on okada on 475 roads including express roads in the state.

Operators of commercial motorcycles had protested the restriction to no avail. They even went to court to stop the implementation of the law but failed.

Since 2012, many of those operating on the legal routes have often complained of indiscriminate arrests and confiscation of their motorcycles even with no known offence.

Many times too, the House had appealed to the law enforcement agents to follow laid down rules in implementing the law, but this had not been obeyed.

Motorcycle riders in the Ikorodu area of the state had the opportunity to complain before top government officials and lawmakers when Sanai Agunbiade organised a security summit for his constituents two weeks ago. Some riders have died while evading police arrest.

Agunbiade confirmed that he had witnessed some of such alleged inhuman treatment meted out to the okada riders.

While stressing that such acts by the police gave the state government a bad name, he assured that he was going to take it up.

However, the restriction of commercial motor riders from plying major roads has led to a sharp decline in accidents caused by the riders. This has also led to a near-zero fatal accident involving commercial motorcylists in the state.

Meanwhile, Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has blamed the House for the infractions committed by council chairmen and councillors in the state.

At plenary late Monday, Ikuforiji, who corroborated a stand by a member of the House, Muyiwa Jimoh, also asked members of the House to take responsibility for allowing unethical practices to thrive at the local government councils in the state.

His argument was sequel to the crisis currently rocking the Mosan Okunola Local Council Development Area where the councillors and the council Chairman, Abiodun Mafe, are locked in a battle for supremacy.

In a letter read on the floor of the House by the Clerk, Mr. Segun Abiru, the councillors in the council told the House that they had impeached their leader, Princess A.V. Olusoga, over alleged gross misconduct and replaced her with Eniola Emmanuel.

According to the letter signed by three of the councillors, Olusoga allegedly refused to convene sittings and was guilty of financial misconduct.

However, in another letter sent by Mafe to the House and read by Abiru, the council chairman urged the House to disregard the letter from the councillors because he recognises Olusoga as the Leader of the council, not Emmanuel.

“Princess A.V. Olusoga remains the authentic Leader of Mosan Okunola Local Council Development Area,” the letter from Mafe stated.

In their arguments, the lawmakers condemned the council chairman for refusing to understand the principle of separation of powers in a government, noting that while Mafe is the head of the executive arm, the councillors are in the parliamentary arm. They accused the chairman of impunity and maintained that he had no right to dabble into such areas as the activities of the councillors within their chamber.

Segun Olulade, the spokesman of the House, argued that if the councillors had agreed to impeach their leader, their letter must be respected and “where the chairman is coming out to say he recognises a leader, is an abuse of power.”

He suggested that a committee be set up to look into the crisis, a suggestion that was supported by Lanre Ogunyemi, Yinka Ogundimu and Lola Akande who argued that Mafe had no right to impose a leader on the councillors.

Muyiwa Jimoh blamed the House for not embarking on constant training and retraining of the politicians at the councils.

Sanai Agubiade, Chairman on Judiciary and Public Petitions, accused Mafe of stoking the crisis with his letter against the councillors.

Jimoh, the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Local Government Administration and Chieftaincy Affairs, said a council chairman in the state once gave a query to a councillor and asked the councillor to respond to the query within a given time.

Before setting up an ad-hoc committee comprising Ajibayo Adeyeye (chairman), Olanrewaju Oshun, Dayo Fafunmi, Olulade and Jimoh, Speaker Ikuforiji, said since the lawmakers agreed that the councils are a creation of the House, then the Assembly should receive the blame for allowing the misbehaviour of politicians.

“We have let loose that level of governance in the state,” he added.