SANITISING OKADA OPERATIONS IN KANO STATE

It was a Monday morning, typical of the earlier hour of the day, the traffic was very light. I flagged the first Okada (Commercial Motorcycle) that came along and after the bargain I hop on. Less than five minutes drive, along the State Road by the traffic control light, I noticed quite some number of Okada parked by the road side and people crowded round in a circle. By the middle of the road is a Toyota car that rapped in to a streetlight post, and few meters away from there were two Okadas flung on the middle of the road. It was obvious that the accident involve the car and the Okadas. The victims had different degree of wounds. From the brief stay to have a glimpse of the scene, it was gather that the Okadas has head-on collision, and in the effort not to run on them the car driver lost control too and collided with the streetlight.

That became the subject of the fifteen minutes journey for me and the Okada man that took me to office. The young man admitted that most of the rider are (“Dan iska”) reckless. I got to the office safe but I kept wondering how many people had had their life cut short or maimed by this phenomenon. Yet we, the society, cannot do without them. I f you have a car, you will drive on the same road they plied. If you do not have a car and rely on public transport, you will encounter them whether you patronize them or not.

Though the menace associated with the system of transport is becoming increasing on a daily basis, one attribute that can hardly be taken away from Okada system of transport, is the fact that it currently remains the  highest employers of labour, especially the unskilled and semi-skill youth; with an estimated population of over 300,000registered commercial motorcyclist in Lagos state and perhaps more than that in Kano State, the state government needs to critically work out policies that will help develop and organize this system of transport.  A visit to major junction in the town and areas like Kabuga, along BUK road, Kofar Ruwa road, Ibraihm Taiwo Road, Murtala Mohammed Road and Sabo Gari areas, will give an idea of the population that are engaged in the Okada business.

A vocation that engages several thousand of youths will definitely be throng with multiple of ills and anomaly. The questions are: what is the government doing to align this segment of the society to the benefit of the populace? Should we because of the associated ills and anomaly ban their operations and deny them of means of livelihood? The ripple effects of retrenchment in civil service in the past should be a guide to the multiplier effect this will create when their operation is stopped.

 It is intriguing to note the double standard and contradictions by states government and federal government.  Some state government actually purchase motorcycle for their workers with the aim to empower them, while Okada (Commercial Motorcycle) is banned in some places (Some part of Abuja , and Eastern states, for example).  Kano state has been part of the former.  And for the latter, part of the reasons being that Okadas are used by criminals, Okada rider are reckless, which are tenable. But the irony is that they move on to other places to continue their trade. Meaning such ills is transfer to their new areas. Is this responsible governance? Relocating the menace?

As the governor presents a bill on the Operation of Commercial Motorcycle to the state assembly, the passage should be in the light of the economic reality of the people rather than focus on the ills side. If the state can set control in the film industry rather than banned the industry then control can achieve in the Commercial Motorcycle business operations.

Let me suggest this:

The government should force Commercial Motorcycle operators to organized in different areas and ensure that those areas are registered with the supervising ministry. This way the erring ones can be corrected by way of training and other sanctions. The registered areas will be held accountable for their registered members. This approach has so many advantages: one, the population data of Commercial Motorcycle operators can be collated for planning purposes; two, revenues can be generated for the government; three, the crime rate associated with this will be minimal; the enlightenment they will receive will equally reduce of the rate of accidents.

Enforcement of existing laws especially on the use of helmets will equally go a long way to reduce the fatality rate. This has already been established by different agency through research. Lagos state is an example of where the enforcement is working. Kano state can take a cue from that.

Sanitizing the Commercial Motorcycle operation in Kano state is possible and achievable.