Okada and the growing security threat in Lagos

The use of motorcycles, popularly called okada, for public transportation is a misnomer and should not be associated with a modern and developing city like Lagos that wants to join the league of megacities in the world soon. However, it is common knowledge that the failure of governments at all levels to come out with effective transportation policy and ensure efficient public transportation has led to the use of okada (motor bikes) for public transportation not only in Lagos but all over the country. The case of Lagos is even unique. Population explosion, the ubiquitous Lagos traffic snarl on virtually all major roads in the city coupled with Lagosian’s knack for impatience and lawlessness have combined to make the use of okada for public transportation very attractive. Formerly confined for use in villages and urban slums due to their ease of navigating difficult terrains that buses and cars could not, okada has become the choicest means of transportation for many Lagosians who wish to avoid the huge traffic snarl in their daily commute.

However, its use has come at a very huge cost to both individuals and the state. Okada riders have become lawless overtime driving recklessly and often against traffic and frequently being involved in fatal and non-fatal accidents. For instance, a survey carried out by the CLEEN foundation in 2013 showed that nearly half (47 percent) of all road accidents in Nigeria involved okada. In Lagos alone, besides the thousands of injuries resulting from the use of okada as a means of transportation, about 270 deaths are recorded yearly before the partial ban of okada in Lagos in 2012.

Much worse however, is the constant involvement of okada riders and the use of okada for crimes, mostly armed robbery and kidnapping. At a time in Lagos, most petty robberies in streets were aided by or carried out by okada riders. What is more, those into the burgeoning business of kidnapping have also learnt to employ the services of okada to aid their trade.

It was largely for these reasons that the Lagos state government under Babatunde Raji Fashola partially banned okada from operating in about 475 out of 10, 000 roads in the state in 2012. Two years after that, the government reported a huge drop in the crime rate and claimed also to have saved over 500 lives and prevented 3, 500 accidents in two years of regulating commercial motorcycle operations in the state.

However, since the change of baton in Lagos in May 2015, there has been a noticeable increase in the violation of the regulations and also an upsurge in crime and okada accidents in Lagos. Some unconfirmed statistics have it that there are currently over 4 million okada riders in Lagos alone. This is alarming and should be a wake-up call on the governor and his team to act to prevent Lagos from being overrun by okada riders.

The worrying aspect of this phenomenon is the clear security threat it poses to Lagos and Lagosians. With most of these okada riders migrating to Lagos from a certain part of the country and even from neighbouring countries and with the dangers of terrorism, Lagos, for now, remains a sitting duck for any such attacks.

We call on the Lagos state government, especially the ministry of transportation and LAMATA to think deep and hard over this threat to Lagos and begin to evolve policies and transportation plans that will provide efficient and quick transportation all across Lagos state and render obsolete the use of okada as a means of transportation in the state. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine.