OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR SANWO OLU ON THE BAN OF OKADAS IN CERTAIN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN LAGOS STATE. | Bayo Akinlade (Omo Eko)

 

My Governor,

I am a bit confused as a citizen of this state about your blanket statement banning Okadas from certain areas of Lagos State. Is it that some areas are better than others and Ikorodu's lives do not matter?

You do not even ask people like me what I think but instead, I hear that you addressed policemen in my state, telling them that they can just go and start enforcing your ban from June 1st.

First of all, let me ask you, when last did you try to get around Lagos and met up with your appointments? You see Mr. Governor, I won't lie to you as your advisers will, it takes an average of 2 to 3 hours to travel less than 15km in this our state. So you must understand why the preferred mode of transportation is not a BRT or a Danfo.

Secondly, we already have a law that restricts Okadas on our highways, what happened to enforcing that law? Let me give you a hint. That law cannot stand because you have a corrupt police force and your local government thugs are collecting taxes from these okada riders in your name. Now another reason it cannot work is that we have no highways in Lagos. Or do you call 2 to 4-lane gridlock roads a highway?

You see Mr. Governor, if you cannot create an alternative that is better and faster than Okadas then you are just not the right man for the job! At least your predecessor was smart enough to provide O'ride which even got graduates interested in the bike transportation business.

Do you think that in an overpopulated city like Lagos, only road transportation is sufficient? Even regarding the waterways, you have failed woefully to provide top-notch services. Lag boats are slower and mostly not even available.

Now Mr. Governor, have your over-paid advisers bothered to find out how many Okada riders are there in Lagos? Do you know how many families depend on income from Okadas? What about those who sell Okadas and its parts, what happens if they can't pay off the loans they took to go into the business?

You see Mr. Governor if you want to really serve people, you must just be as simple as they come. Sure there are dangers in the Okada sector but name one sector that doesn't have its risk.

Mr. Governor, the way I see it is that the corruption in your government causes more harm, deaths, and all sorts of terrible ills than Okadas could ever be held responsible for because if there was minimal corruption, these rails would have been completed by now, we would have had more road networks, our roads would not need patching up every 3 months and Primero Transport wouldn't be filing for bankruptcy.

Mr. Governor, you saw what the police did to you at magodo, it's that same police you are sending after these ordinary citizens. You cannot imagine the injustice that will be meted out by our brute force of underpaid men in Black.

So Mr. Governor, why don't you give a little thought to those who make a living through riding Okadas, take a little thought about your citizens who depend on this mode of transportation, look at your capacity to enforce and look at our justice sector before you hitlarize this transportation sector.

Or isn't it enough you and your politicians have taken up one whole lane for your private enterprise called BRT? Isn't it enough that you have gone into the Uber business with your Lagos ride? Where are capitalism and democracy in our system?

Mr. Governor, we are plenty that own Lagos, I know for a fact it is not your father's property. So I urge you to show a little restraint and humanity in this matter. Because planes fall off the sky doesn't mean we ban air travel, because boats sink doesn't mean that the waterways and boats are generally unsafe. Take a step back, do your research and work hard to come up with solutions instead of making reactionary pronouncements that make us all wonder how in the world you got elected as governor of this great city.

Cheers.