…govt will sabotage it- residents

Olusola Bello           

The Lagos State Government has resolved to ban the use of motorcycles and tricycles (keke) in the state, citing security concerns.

But some residents of the state said the action might create more  problems  than  the  state is trying  to solve. They felt banning Okada and Keke Marwa even in the Lagos suburbs could heighten the level of crimes it is trying to curtail because of the large number of youths that make a living through such activities.

Huge unemployment crisis is going to be created by this action of the government, Johnson Omololu said.

They also  accused the  government of  lack of seriousness in carrying out the action , as they believe that the government would  reneged  as  soon as election is close bye. They would look the other way if election is coming so that they can use these boys as thugs, another resident said.

The state has however advised residents to access opportunities provided in agriculture and empowerment programmes of the state.

This was contained in a communiqué issued after a stakeholders’ meeting on Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, on Monday.

The meeting was attended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; the Chief Judge, Kazeem Alogba; the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, traditional and religious leaders and members of the civil society, among others.

The governor said the string of lawlessness daily witnessed from the confrontation between commercial motorcyclists and law enforcement agencies required an urgent action.

“Based on all that we have seen and experienced in the past couple of weeks, as well as the increasing threat posed by the activities of commercial motorcycle operators to the safety and security of lives, we will be announcing further changes to the parameters of motorcycle and tricycle operations in the state in the coming days. No society can make progress amid such a haughty display of lawlessness and criminality,” he added.

Sanwo-Olu said from next week, the state would be inaugurating the First and Last Mile buses next week, which would take the routes the motorcycles were plying

The state Commissioner of Police, Odumosu, raised the alarm over rising security breaches from the menace of okada operations in the state.

In the same period, the Lagos police boss said Okada accounted for 83 per cent of 385 cases of avoidable fatal vehicular accidents in Lagos.

He said between January and early this month, 320 commercial motorcycles were impounded in 218 cases of criminal incidents in which 78 suspects were detained and 480 ammunition recovered.

In the same period, the Lagos police boss said Okada accounted for 83 per cent of 385 cases of avoidable fatal vehicular accidents in Lagos.

At the end of the meeting, a 12-point resolution was reached, among which was a ban on Okada “as a means of transportation in the state.”

At the end of the meeting, a 12-point resolution was reached, among which was a ban on Okada “as a means of transportation in the state.”

It was also stated that stakeholders agreed that the state government should take over abandoned and uncompleted buildings in the state and take control of abandoned vehicles in every nook and cranny of Lagos.

Other decisions taken were that the government could take over houses, hotels and event centres where hoodlums hibernated or kept arms.