On Wednesday, the Lagos State Government announced that defaulting commercial motorcycle operators (Okada) would be facing 3 years imprisonment as the enforcement of the Phase 2 ban would begin tomorrow, Friday, 2nd September 2022.
The Commissioner for Transport, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, announced this during a news conference in Ikeja, revealing that the Phase 2 Okada ban would be happening in four Local Government Areas and six Local Government Development Councils.
The News Agency of Nigeria also reported that the state government in August had declared a total ban in four additional LGAs and six LCDAs in Kosofe (Ikosi-Isheri and Agboyi-Ketu LCDAs); Mushin (Odi-Olowo LCDA); Oshodi (Oshodi-Isolo and Ejigbo LCDAs), and Shomolu (Bariga LCDA).
In his words, Oladeinde had said: “We implore the general public to comply, as both the rider and passenger are liable to three years in prison if prosecuted. Their motorcycles will be impounded and crushed in the public view, in line with the provision of Section 46, sub-section 1, 2 & 3 of the Transport Sector Reform Law (TSRL), 2018.”
“We implore the general public to join hands together with the state government by complying with the decision geared towards combating the monster that Okada operation has created so that sanity can return to our state,” Oladeinde said.
At least 200 Lagos Traffic Management Authority -LASTMA officials had been deployed to join hands with other security agencies to enforce the ban in the stated areas. Oladeinde had additionally said that the extension of the ban to four additional LGAs and LCDAs was in the right direction to secure the lives and properties of residents.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, had reaffirmed that the state government was not leaving the Okada riders stranded as the former commercial motorcyclists could approach the government as a cooperative to receive their first and last mile buses.
