In defence of Okada
SIR: I was shocked to read about the Federal Government's plans to ban commercial motorcycle operators known as Okada in the country.
The proposed ban is based on the allegation by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) that Okada operators are the major cause of road mishaps in the country.
I wish to state clearly here that the allegation is false. As everyone knows ever before now, road accidents had been happening well before the advent of Okada as a major intra-city mode of transport in Nigeria. It is widely believed that major road accidents in the country are caused mainly by bad roads, fake motor spare parts, drunk driving, non-use of seat belts, answering phone calls while driving among others, and not by the Okada operators as alleged by the FRSC.
For example, in 2003, about 100 people lost their lives at the Lokoja-Abuja road following a head-on-collision between a luxury bus and a stationary tanker.
Again, early in March this year, about 70 persons lost their lives along Ibadan road when a luxury bus and a petrol tanker collided. Two weeks after, about 15 persons including a four-month pregnant woman died at Ojoo-Ibadan Expressway when a petrol tanker with registration number XA 353TN Katsina and three commercial buses collided.
Also, on March 17, 2004, a journalist died along Ogbomosho road when he was trying to dodge a pothole and had a head-on collision with a bus carrying eggs. In short, the list is just endless.
From the above statistics, it is obvious that Okada operators caused none of the road accidents. Personally, I believe that generally, Okada operators have worked to fill the vacuum created by the scarcity of serviceable commercial buses and taxies in Nigerian cities, especially for transportation to some 'unmotorable' areas. So, they should not be banned.
It is worthy of mentioning employment here that these Okada operators have done a lot in the area of providing employment to many people since there seems to be no job in the country. I foresee a situation whereby, if the Okada business is banned, the efforts of the Federal Government in alleviating poverty in the country will further be defeated.
Meanwhile, if Okada business is banned without providing the Okada operators an alternative as regards to what they should be doing for a living, believe me, a lot of them would be frustrated and any person under frustration can damn the consequences of his action.
Although, that is not to say that I am trying go exonerate the Okada operators from any form of blame for the high-rate of road accidents in the country. At least they do contribute about five per cent of the total road accidents that occur in the country. But, my argument is that the activities of Okada operators in this regard are too minimal to attract a complete ban by the Federal Government. Rather, the Federal Government should rescind this decision.
Felix Ugwuoke,
University of Nigeria,
Nsukka, Enugu State`
