Why we passed law banning Okada in Lagos - Segun Olulade, ex-lawmaker

- A former lawmaker in the Lagos state House of Assembly, Segun Olulade, has disclosed the key reasons why the law banning Okada in the state was passed

- Olulade told Legit TV that the law was put in place to ensure the security and welfare of the people of the state

- The ex-lawmaker noted that the current government's restriction of Okada and Keke from just six LGAs is a partial implementation, adding that the law applies to all major roads in every part of the state

As the hardship experienced by Lagosians over the ban of Okada and Keke bites harder, one of the former lawmakers who came up with law banning Okada operations in Lagos state, Segun Olulade, has shed light on the reasons behind their action.

The law banning the use of Okada on the major roads in Lagos was passed in 2013 during the administration of Babatunde Raji Fashola who is now the minister of works and housing.

In a recent chat with Legit TV, Olulade who was the spokesperson of the state House of Assembly then explained that the law was put in place to ensure the security and welfare of the lives of Lagosians.

The former lawmaker said data collected from hospitals and the security agencies indicated that the rampant use Okada as a means of transportation in the state was responsible for major roads accidents and security breach.

Olulade said everyone was carried along including the Okada riders and security agencies during a public hearing before the bill banning Okada was eventually passed into law.

According to the former lawmaker, all stakeholders at the public hearing agreed that in every constituency/local government in the state, there are some major roads which Okada riders cannot continue to ply because of the issue of security and welfare of the people.

"The welfare of the people is what we considered because we saw many lives being lost," he said.

"We cannot allow them to continue to kill the people, to continue to cause security threats to our state and our people," Olulade.

He also noted that who the current administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu has done with Okada/Keke ban is a partial implementation of the law.

The former lawmaker explained that the law stipulates that Okada cannot be allowed in major roads in all the local government areas in Lagos while the current administration has only restricted them from just six local government areas.

He noted that the operations of Okada have also been banned in some other states in the country such as Edo, Kano and Abuja.

Asked what palliative measures the government is putting in place to address the current hardship, Olulade said the current administration should bring back the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) which was introduced by the Fashola administration and make it sustainable.

He also noted that Okada riders were not banned from operating in the streets, adding that the riders should challenge any enforcement that is contrary to the law.

"The safety of the people of Lagos is paramount to the government of Lagos," he reiterated.

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Meanwhile, as a way of cushioning the effect of the recent ban placed Okada and tricycles, the Lagos state government on Sunday, February 2, revealed what it has come up with as an alternative.

In a statement on Sunday, the state's commissioner for information and strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said that the government has injected 65 new buses into the transport system.

Moreover, Omotoso said that apart from the fact that about 550 more buses are being expected while 14 ferries were commissioned on Tuesday, February 4.

On behalf of the state, Omotoso thanked operators of the banned vehicles for utmost compliance with the ban, adding that this shows that Lagosians are on the same page with the government on the need to curb or even possibly eliminate the disasters that have linked Okada and tricycles.

The commissioner said that the government is aware of the discomfort the ban has caused the operators and assured them that it is not resting on its oars in efforts to find other means of making a living for the affected persons.

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Why we passed law banning Okada - Hon. Segun Olulade | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng