BY: Ikenna Oluka
Commercial motorcycle operators locally known as “Okada”, are gradually returning to Onitsha, a popular city in Anambra State, Nigeria.
The state government had in May 2018 issued a quit notice to the Okada riders in the two major cities of Onitsha and Awka and urged them to change to another trade or vacate the cities for good.
Chief Press secretary to Governor Willie Obiano, Mr. James Eze, said the directive, which was one of the resolutions from the weekly State executive council meeting, was part of the overall strategy adopted by the government to deepen its crackdown on crime and restore sanity to Onitsha and Awka.
The ban commenced on July 1, 2018.
But, speaking during the 2018 Annual Seminar of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council in Awka, the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, offered more insights on the ban, explaining that the ban would be for commercial motorcyclists in Onitsha and Awka and their neighbouring towns.
He revealed that the state government was making alternative arrangements to provide more shuttle buses to cover as many routes as possible, while calling on transporters to take advantage of the opportunity and invest in deploying shuttles and tricycles to complement government’s efforts.
“The state government has designed a hire purchase arrangement where the motorcycle operators will be provided tricycles and shuttles and they pay in installments over a period of time in consideration to the plight of Ndi Anambra who may be affected by the ban,” he said.
He reiterated that the ban is solely in the best interest of the citizens and residents of the state, and that it would also help government decisively address cases of motorbike robbery in many parts of the state which has been on the increase in recent times.
According to him, the state government, by August 1, this year, would vacate the shanties located opposite the Onitsha prison as a result of the series of crimes reportedly perpetrated there.
However, GRASSROOTS.NG gathered that Okada riders are gradually creeping back on “4wheel brand”, especially in Onitsha:
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