Beginning on September 1, 2022, the Lagos State Government will no longer allow commercial motorbike, or Okada, activities in four additional local government areas and six further local council development areas (LCDAs).
The impacted local governments are Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Somolu, and Mushin, according to the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, who made the announcement in Lagos on Thursday. The six LCDAs are Ikosi-Isheri, Agboyi-Ketu, Isolo, Bariga, Odi-Olowo, and Ejigbo.
With the announcement, the state government has ordered the formation of the “Anti-Okada Squad,” which will enforce the implementation of the phase 2 ban, by the Nigeria Police Force, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other law enforcement units within the state.
In six local governments and nine LCDAs in the state, the government forbade the use of commercial motorcycles in June.
The most recent decision now prohibits the use of commercial motorbikes in 10 out of the state’s 20 local governments.
As a result, starting on September 1st, okada activities will no longer be permitted in the state’s city centers.
The commissioner stated that the collation of accidents from LASTMA, the state Ministry of Health, and the Police Command about the Okada operation in the state revealed that there were 387 accidents in January, 375 in February, 551 in March, 409 in April, 416 in May, and 289 in June.
The commissioner said: “So, having critically assessed these resolutions and the challenges of Okada operations on the security architecture of the state recommended to Mr. Governor not to go back on the already laid down phase ban in a bid to sustain the gains, the state government has received empirical reports from the Ministry of Health, Lagos State Health Service Commission and the Lagos State Police Command on the accident and crime rates in order to analyse the impact of the ban on safety and security before and during the ban within the affected areas of the state.”
Even though the state government’s partial prohibition was only in effect for four months, there was a noticeable decline in accidents in July.
According to a LASTMA report, 68 accident incidents were reported in June as opposed to 74 in May, a 4% decrease in the accident rate for commercial motorcycles.
According to the Ministry of Health, 176 accident cases were reported in June, down from 277 in May, and the accident rate has decreased to 63.5% in all general hospitals in the state.
Oladeinde stated: “The data shows that the operation has significant gains and compliance rate in the concerned areas as available records show that crime and accident rate has reduced astronomically by 86% and 63.7% respectively within the period under review and a total of 7,500 motorcycles have been impounded and crushed accordingly, hence, the need to sustain this achievement.
“Based on the apparent positive impact of the ban and the resolution of the stakeholders’ forum, Mr. Governor has approved the ban of Okada in another four LGs and their respective five LCDAs for the second phase of the total ban, in addition to the on-going ban in the six (6) LGs and their respective LCDAs.
