Daily Independent Online.
*
Friday, July 02, 2004.
Helmets, jackets for Okada operators a must, says Lagos
govt
By Stella Odueme
Reporter, Lagos.
In order to reduce the rate of accidents on Lagos
roads, the state government has
reiterated its commitment to enforce the wearing of helmets and reflective
jackets for operators of commercial motorcyclists popularly called Okada riders in the state.
Speaking with Daily Independent in Lagos, Press/Public Relations
Officer of the Ministry of Transport, Lagos State, Mr Ogundeji Adesegun said
that the state government was particular about helmets because of its relative
importance to safety, ”if you must ride an Okada, you must wear helmet and
reflective jacket”, he said.
He explained that the state government had made it
compulsory for riders to wear helmet as a result of its protective tendency,
especially at night so that when a vehicle is approaching, it would indicate
that a rider is passing by, that way, a vehicle would not inadvertently hit
him, he said.
According to him, enforcing the law was vital because
it had being discovered that the rate of deaths and injurious accidents
occurring from Okada was very high.
According to Adesegun, before the state government
concluded that Okada riders must wear helmets and reflective jackets, a lot of
workshops and seminars were held to deliberate on the best solution to the
menace adding that some people were of the view that Okada should be banned completely
from the roads.
Others were however reasoned that there were too many
people in the business to be put in the unemployment market and therefore
banning them would result to security threat, as many families would be
negatively affected.
This he stated informed the decision of the state
government to regulate them to ensure that riders conform with certain laws so
that cases of accidents and deaths would be reduced to the barest minimum. ”It is better to regulate them
than outright ban” he said.
He urged the operators to however ensure that their
motorcycles were tested to be sound before they put them on the road, as
roadworthiness was a condition for their existence in the state.
Adesegun warned all okada riders in the state to
desist from the act of fixing musical gadgets in their okada. He said that the
act of playing music while riding served as distraction for road users, adding
that manufacturers never made provision for that.
According to him, okada riders would no longer be
allowed to carry more than one passengers, because the provision was for the
riders and a passenger. He also said that under age, would no longer be allowed
to ride okada in the state.
According to him, before now okada riders were
complying with the order to wear helmets and reflective jackets until recently,
hence the state government was now set to enforce the laws.
