10 Aug 2006 |
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The decision of the Lagos State Government to ban the movement of commercial motorcycles during a specified period of 7pm-6am would on the surface of it, seem a genuine expression of concern about the emergence of the okada, as the motorcycles are better known, as a major tool and icon in reported cases of armed robbery in the state. But a close examination, compels a sociological investigation of the place, and circumstances of the okada in our lives, and whether indeed, the state government's directive is sustainable, and not one of those episodic, knee-jerk responses that are at variance with reality. Dele Alake, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy who made the announcement did so in the following words: "In recent times", said he, "security statistics emanating from the public have indicated sharp rise in the incidence of robbery, killing, harassment, stealing, raping, maiming and all kinds of high level crime with the aid of okada as a get-away vehicle. Only recently, an 18-year old boy was shot along Lekki Expressway by an Okada rider. The reports have become increasingly alarming, and persistent such that the executive council meeting deliberated on it, and decided that beginning from 7pm to 6am, okada operators are hereby banned with effect from today (Wednesday)." To give effect to this declaration, the police have been mandated to start apprehending okada riders who violate this regulation. Punishment: seizure of the offending okada, and a fine of N50, 000. The Lagos State Government is perfectly in order to show interest in the safety of lives and property, and seek to curb the menace of motorcycles and their operators. Without any doubt, okadas now constitute an attractive nuisance in Lagos and elsewhere. Okada cyclists, as alleged, have among their ranks petty and hardened criminals. And there have been many dramatic cases of criminality to confirm the truthfulness of this allegation. The okada phenomenon is a by-product of the larger dislocations within the system. Frustrated by poverty, and lack of opportunities, many young persons including college graduates, now resort to the ownership and operation of commercial motorcycles in order to make ends meet. The attraction lies in part in the rather low cost of investment. A brand new motorcycle is between N90, 000 and N100, 000, a used motorcycle, bought as imported second-hand okada is about N70,000, those that are local, second-hand would be about N40,000. With a trip per passenger on the okada hovering between N40 and N100 depending on the distance to be covered, an okada owner is sure of steady income on a daily basis. In practice, the owner of the motorcycle is usually not the operator, but the latter is required to use the motorcycle, ensure return on investment, and if this is done, he becomes the owner of the motorcycle. The original owner buys another motorcycle, and through this reproductive system, the population of okada on our streets continues to grow. It is such a profitable business that even university teachers, professors, and company executives are okada entrepreneurs. In the absence of structural incentives for small-scale businesses, the operation of commercial motorcycles appears to be an easy option for many otherwise jobless persons. The Okada phenomenon is, in addition, a child of necessity. This is so, not only in Lagos, but in virtually every part of the country today, where motorcycles have helped to provide an answer to the failure, and/or absence of an organic transportation system. The poor state of Nigerian roads is well-known. The absence of roads in many neighbourhoods is a sad fact of our lives. The chaotic traffic on our tragic roads is yet another living truth. At the centre of this is the crisis of urban planning. In Nigeria, almost as a rule, settlements spring up, neighbourhoods are created, houses are built without any prior thought about infrastructure. We build houses first before we begin to think of access roads. Whatever roads are available, pose a threat to vehicles. The majority of Nigerians live in these inaccessible parts of our towns and cities. A greater majority cannot afford to buy cars, and there is no functional mass transit system in any part of Nigeria. In the last 20 years, the okada - it is called by other names in different parts of the country - came to fill the vacuum. It is relatively cheaper. It is also faster, as the motorcyclist can snake through traffic at faster speed. While commuters are sweating inside vehicles, the okada manoeuvres through crazy traffic, and speeds off. It is the best get-away machinery, not only for criminals, but anyone who is in a hurry. Here in Lagos, if you have a flight to catch, or an appointment to keep, and you do not wish to arrive late, the best option is to jump on the back of an okada to beat the traffic! The Okada is particularly useful during rush hours. By 5am, in Lagos, most people are on their way to the office. They need to beat the early morning traffic. They need to move from their hidden locations to more convenient spots. If there is no motorcycle until 6a.m., most of such people, living in places such as Akute, Ojodu-Abiodun, Olowora, Ajangbadi, Ipaja... would most certainly get late to work. By 7pm, the other hour which features in the Lagos State directive, most Lagos residents would just be returning home. Without the okada, they will be cut off from their homes. I now return to the point about the nuisance that is posed by okada motorcycles and their operators. The operators, without mincing words, are thoroughly disorderly and unruly. They drive recklessly. They have no regard for traffic rules and regulations. They have no respect for other human beings. I don't know anyone, particularly a car-owner who has ever encountered a disciplined or polite okada cyclist. If you are a vehicle-owner, you must learn to avoid any incident involving them. They would drive into your car, and should you protest, you would be swamped by a large crowd of okada cyclists, who in a show of solidarity with their colleague, would abandon reason and threaten to hurt you. One day, an okada cyclist, ran into a friend's car. He had tried to apologise but the moment, he saw a couple of his colleagues on the other lane, he suddenly slumped and started pretending to be hurt. This caused a scene, and in the end, the motorist was forced to deposit some money for the treatment of a man who was in the wrong, and who had sustained no injuries whatsoever! This is a common pattern of behaviour. Even when you try to avoid the miscreant posing as a commercial motorcyclist you still cannot win. The other day, I had tried to advise one of them not to drive into my car's side mirror. He just ignored me. I felt provoked. "You people have no respect at all. Does this look like the kind of car you should drive your mobile coffin into?" , I queried "Where is the car?", the idiot responded "I think poverty has robbed you of your brains. You people don't respect anybody anymore. You are looking at a fine car like this, and you can't show respect. When I deal with you now, they'd say big man is oppressing poor man". "Carry your car and get away. I touch you? Instead of you to go and get a driver, you dey do I go drive myself around. Na so una dey do". I gave up. Okada cyclists don't even respect pedestrians. If you stand by the road side, they'd deliberately splash water on you. Or they would run into you, and insist that you do not have the right to stand on the road. If their lack of civility is occasioned by anger and frustration, how about their recklessness? Okada cyclists have no speed-limits. They were once required to wear safety helmets. They refused to do so. They were once warned to steer clear of highways. Today, they can be found on highways, even on inter-state routes! An okada cyclist is not necessarily licensed. In their line of trade, it helps when you are permanently stoned and drunk. Even in those okada garages where there is some measure of organisation, the only thing that is certain is the politics of turf control. Motorcycle accidents have become so common - in part, because of over-speeding, but also because of the risky mode of operation. Many okadas carry up to three passengers at once. In once instance, I saw a whole family - a family of four-all sandwiched together astride a motorcycle, blasting away at high speed. Oftentimes, both the cyclist and the passenger are thrown into the gutter, or onto the path of on-coming vehicles with fatal consequences. Nearly every public hospital has an okada ward. Each victim has a sorry story to tell. The abuse of the human person by okada cyclists is just as bad as the other crimes that are committed with the aid of the motorcycle including rape and armed robbery. But would the restriction of movement solve the problem? Is this a useful short-term measure? A number of additional conclusions can be arrived at, for the consideration of the Lagos State authorities, and other state governments that may be tempted to move against the okada in one form or the other. For, what we are faced with is almost a helpless situation. One, the Lagos State Government says it has mandated the police to apprehend commercial motorcyclists who flout the regulation. Is there any state law backing up this regulation? How do we ensure that this executive order, does not amount to an infringement on the individual's right of movement? Okada cyclists are not registered as commercial operators; they fall into an amorphous group of business adventurers. So, how do we differentiate between an okada cyclist and someone who is just giving a friend a ride in the evening, or in the early hours of the day? The danger in these grey areas is that an avenue may just have been created for the police to extort more money from okada cyclists. Already, the police harass okada cyclists, and collect ransom from them. They are likely to be the chief beneficiaries of the new regulation. It is also certain that the regulation will be ignored by both okada cyclists and their patrons. The onus would now be on government to enforce its regulation. Would the state government set up an okada monitoring task-force? Two, the restriction of okada movement order is not likely to result in the reduction of armed robbery. If anything, it would achieve the effect of providing more time for the criminal elements riding okada, to inflict more terror on the people between the hours of 7pm and 6am. The challenge lies in the enforcement of law and order. Criminality thrives in our society because our cities and towns are not safe. The army of angry and unemployed youths continues to grow. Our streets are dark at night. The police are incompetent. The lamentation that okada cyclists are involved in armed robbery is in itself an admission of failure on the part of government. How many okada cyclists have been arrested and prosecuted for armed robbery? Three, the new regulation would only impose further hardship on the people. Persons patronise the okada because they have no other option. If our governments had provided a more functional transportation system, nobody would use a motorcycle. Thus, the okada phenomenon is linked to the crisis of misgovernance. What is required, in Lagos, and other states, is a blue-print for public transportation, and a new approach to urban planning. The slummification of our cities breeds a strong anti-culture, of which the motorcycle economy is a veritable outcome. Four, for now, the okada has come to stay in our lives as an ugly reminder of the underdevelopment of our circumstances. No restriction of movement order can deter the okada operator and his patrons. Perhaps rigorous public enlightenment would be a more effective entry point.
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