Hardball
Who listed Lagos routes where commercial motorcycles (Okada) and tricycles (Keke Marwa) shouldn’t operate?
A January 21 report said the Lagos State Government had installed 2,000 signs indicating the areas where such motorcycles and tricycles were prohibited. According to the report, “Commissioner for Transportation Frederic Oladeinde said a good number of the road signs indicated areas where tricycles and motorcycles operations were prohibited, warning that any one that violates the law after this effort, would be punished in accordance with the dictates of the law.” The operations of commercial motorcycles and tricycles are supposed to be regulated by the Lagos State Traffic Laws.
Curiously, the following day, a conflicting report quoted the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, as saying the state government hadn’t taken a definite action on the operations of Okada and Keke Marwa. He said: “We have just concluded our routine security meeting, during which the issue of Okada and tricycles was discussed. For now, no major decision has been taken on the matter.” Omotoso added that the alleged list of restricted routes was false and unofficial, and should be disregarded.
There is a need for clarification, considering the conflicting comments by the two commissioners. The lack of clarity doesn’t help matters. It’s a cause for concern that the police are exploiting the unclear situation.
A commercial motorcyclist at Idi-Araba, Mushin, lamented: “The policemen collected my bike on Sunday morning. I paid N10, 000 to retrieve it. In the evening, another set of policemen arrested me and collected my bike. They demanded N20, 000. How do I make a living with these extortions?”
Another one, Mohammed Idris, said: ”I don’t ply highways. The street where I do park my bike was where police came to arrest me and told me to pay N20, 000. I am using the bike to take care of my family.”
According to Linus Benedict, who said he had been a commercial motorcyclist for 12 years, “Police in Surulere and Mushin have seized the opportunity to extort us. They are arresting Okada riders and collecting N20, 000 each to retrieve our bikes.”
It’s condemnable that the police are taking advantage of the unclear situation resulting from the state government’s unclarity. Omotoso was quoted as saying a definite position on the issue would soon be made public through the official media channels of the government.
The Lagos State Government should quickly get its act together on this issue.
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