Former Lagos lawmaker explains why law banning Okada/Keke in state was passed
A former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Segun Olulade, has said that the key reasons why the law banning Okada in the state was passed was to ensure the security and welfare of the people of the state.
The ex-lawmaker noted that the current government’s restriction of Okada and Keke NAPEP from just six LGAs is a partial implementation, adding that the law applies to all major roads in every part of the state
Olulade spoke against the backdrop of the hardship being experienced by Lagosians as the ban on Okada and Keke NAPEP bites harder.
The law banning the use of Okada on the major roads in Lagos was passed in 2013 during the administration of Babatunde Raji Fashola who is now the minister of works and housing.
Olulade who was the spokesperson of the state House of Assembly then explained that the law was put in place to ensure the security and welfare of the lives of Lagosians.
The former lawmaker said data collected from hospitals and the security agencies indicated that the rampant use of Okada as a means of transportation in the state was responsible for major roads accidents and security breach.
Olulade said everyone was carried along including the Okada riders and security agencies during a public hearing before the bill banning Okada was eventually passed into law.
According to the former lawmaker, all stakeholders at the public hearing agreed that in every constituency/local government in the state, there are some major roads which Okada riders cannot continue to ply because of the issue of security and welfare of the people.
“The welfare of the people is what we considered because we saw many lives being lost,” he said.
“We cannot allow them to continue to kill the people, to continue to cause security threats to our state and our people,” Olulade.
He also noted that what the current administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu has done with Okada/Keke ban is a partial implementation of the law.
The former lawmaker explained that the law stipulates that Okada cannot be allowed in major roads in all the local government areas in Lagos while the current administration has only restricted them from just six local government areas.
He noted that the operations of Okada have also been banned in some other states in the country such as Edo, Kano and Abuja.
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Asked what palliative measures the government is putting in place to address the current hardship, Olulade said the current administration should bring back the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) which was introduced by the Fashola administration and make it sustainable.
He also noted that Okada riders were not banned from operating in the streets, adding that the riders should challenge any enforcement that is contrary to the law.
“The safety of the people of Lagos is paramount to the government of Lagos,” he reiterated.
