Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Lagos State Government has given okada riders in the state 21-day ultimatum to vacate all restricted routes in the metropolis.
Officials of the state government met with okada unions in Lagos on Thursday at the State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on the need for okada riders to vacate the roads.
Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Tunji Bello who chaired the meeting told newsmen that government had decided to give the riders 21-day ultimatum for the unions to sensitise their members to vacate the restricted routes before enforcement would begin.
“We just held a meeting with the okada unions on what should be done; we have held meeting with security agencies before now. Recently, we noticed resurgence of okada riders going back to their old ways.
“Some of them even drive one way on Apapa Expressway. When you go to Apapa, Lagos-Badagry Express, Gbagada, and others, you will see them. We have to call them to let them know.
“The complain was that when the election was coming, there was relaxation and they went back. They though there had been relaxation. They asked us to give them sometimes, We felt there was need for two weeks of enlightenment, but they said it was too short. They asked for. Two months till August and we say no, we can only give three weeks maximum because we are not doing anything new, what we are doing is to reinforce the law, it is not that we are reenacting the law,” he said.
Bello said when the law was introduced in. 2012,, okada accidents dropped, as many hospitals felt the relief, saying that Igbobi and LUTH no longer have lots of patients.
“We are not going back to that era again. Three weeks is not small, they have to go and enlightenment their members on the need to leave the road. We are not going back on enforcement, we need to save members of the public and the only way to doing that is to restrict them,” he added.
The SSG stated that enforcement was relaxed during the last election so that political parties would not capitalise on the enforcement for cheap political gains.
“We relax during the election because we don’t want crisis and violence and to avoid exploitation by political parties. We needed to avoid crisis at that time so that political parties will capitalise on it. The enforcement will be in full force after three weeks,” he. Said.
He said three weeks was enough time for the riders to make adjustment so that government would not have to spend much money on enforcement.
“These are laws already in place and they have to obey, it is just that we have relaxed and members of the public have started feeling the pains. Go and see lots of violation between Okota and Mile 2 now, some of them have started colliding with cars, we cannot continue,” he said