And in agreement with the axiom that if you scratch a journalist, the blood that will ooze out is probably that of a social reformer, the submission here is that push has come to shove, and the “okada” may have to go! They made their case worse by refusing to wear crash helmets as prescribed by the Federal Road Safety Corps.
Some personal “nasty” experiences readily come to mind: While having lunch with a friend at a fast food restaurant at Gowon Estate in the Egbeda area of the Lagos megalopolis on a Saturday afternoon, a pair of robbers walked in. The first, holding a gleaming pistol, stood by the door, as he mimicked the esoteric tongue of Pentecostal Christians.
His partner approached the cashier, and motioned her to empty the money in the cash register into a bag that he held out. When he was done, he signalled to his colleague who stood by the exit all through the operation. They both calmly walked out of the restaurant into a crowd that parted, in the manner of the Red Sea, as they approached with the gun.
To everyone’s surprise, two “okada” riders that were embedded within the crowd eased forward. One robber sat at the back of each rider, and the bikes sped off. You can only imagine the harm those riders, who were probably armed, could have done to anyone in the crowd who would have had ambition to confront the robbers.
On another day, while standing with a friend on the Lateef Jakande Road in Agidingbi, Ikeja, a robber, suddenly tugged violently at the belt of the carrier bag of my laptop. A scuffle ensued. When he was convinced that he was not going to have the bag, he gave up. Then, he and his partner hopped on an “okada” whose engine was idling all along, and they zoomed off.
A friend, a lady, stood under the Kirikiri flyover, on the the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in Lagos, waiting for a cab. Suddenly, an “okada” lost control, veered, and shot at her. He broke her leg and she ended up spending three months at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos. She now has a metal in place of a bone in her leg, because of an “okada” that lost control.
You will be right to argue that automobiles should also be banned because robbers could use them for getaways too. But if you consider that an “okada” can more easily manoeuvre, and escape in a crowded metropolis like Lagos, then you would sooner ban the “okada” than the automobile.
Someone has also reasoned that if “okada” should be banned in Lagos because they are prone to accidents, then aircraft that drop from the sky, ships that can capsize, and automobiles that are usually involved in fatal road accidents should also be banned. This is also a valid argument.
The CNNMoney reveals that motorcycles are by far more dangerous than other forms of transport. Trucks and cars are the next most dangerous. Boats, buses, and trains are safer, and aircraft surprisingly, have the highest safety record. By the way, some travel by helicopter to beat the traffic holdup at specific hours within the Lagos metropolis.
If you go by the rule of statistics, of all modes of transport, the motorcycle that has the highest rate or frequency of accidents should be the first to be phased out. If safety is the object, this is the most logical step. It is therefore a no-brainer to say that “okada” exposes people to accidents more than the automobile.
While the cabin of an automobile may shield its occupants from external impact in the event of an accident, the “okada” exposes the rider to direct danger. And while a passenger inside a car may not completely avoid an impact, a seat belt could at least reduce the degree of impact.
But before an outright ban, Lagos must seriously think about providing adequate alternative transport for commuters who use “okada” as primary mode of transport. It is only fair to replace whatever you take from people with something equal or better. The Lagos Metroline must not only run within the Greater Lagos metropolis, but also in the rural areas of Epe, Badagry, Imota, and Egbeda.
Indeed, Lagos must creatively think out a way to move more people and goods, faster. Think of a train, bearing commuters, as well as cargo from the farm gate on the hinterland chugging into Mile 12 Market, Ketu, or Alaba Market, Maroko Market, at Ajah, and Sura cum Sandgrose markets, on the Lagos Island, many times in a day.
Only those at the Iddo Market, in Lagos, can tell you how much good the proximity they have to Iddo train terminus has done for their business. This plays out Adam Smith’s assertion: “The inhabitants of a city must always ultimately derive their subsistence, and the whole materials and means of their industry, from the country.”
The responsibility of every safety and security conscious resident of Lagos metropolis is to urge Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to make haste to complete the Lagos Metroline, extend its network to rural areas where the “okada” is currently restricted to, expand and construct more roads, the same way he has expanded the fleet of the Bus Rapid Transit scheme.
As for those young men who will certainly be thrown into the unemployment market if “okada” is banned, they should take advantage of the Lagos State free skills acquisition scheme, and the trust fund that Lagos State has made available to empower artisans and small scale entreprenuers. The Lagos Government must conscientiously devise a credible strategy to convince the young men to come forth on board the skills acquisition and funding schemes.
Lagos State must find a way to cope with the changing value systems and lifestyles that have adversely affected the attitude of today’s youths. Their quest for quick and easy money, to spend on immediate gratification is a big obstacle in the way of persuading youths to sit still and learn work skills. They prefer, in the manner of their street slang, to “make runs,” or “hustle,” as the older Baby Boomer generation would say.
The world is in a ceaseless motion, and ever faster transformation. The government and people of Lagos must move in tandem with the political, social, economic, security, safety, and infrastructure landscape of the rest of the world. It is time to move on to safer mass transit modes because one life is too much to lose.
To rework the famous words of America’s President Barack Obama, “Change we need, change we must get.” And if anyone would ask if the people of Lagos State can make the required change from “okada” to more modern mass transit system, the answer should be, “Yes, we can.”
PUNCH
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