[size=14pt]Okada ban in Delta: No going back on Nov 1 date – Commissioner.[/size]

By Austin Ogwuda

Asaba—DELTA State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Benson Igbakpa, has said there was no going back on the ban on commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, as the ban takes effect today.

He made it clear that the restriction would begin today in Warri, Asaba and Effurun, warning that the ban did not exclude private motorcycle users.

He said: ”Anybody who may claim to be using his or her motorcycle for private purposes or haulage should construct a carriage at the back signifying that it is not a passenger motorcycle.

“With the transport arrangements already on ground, we can move as much as 21,000 passengers at a time. So there is no going back on the November 1 take off date for the restriction order because the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has been magnanimous enough.”

Governor Uduaghan had extended the ban by one month to enable a better take off of the system.

Already, the presence of tricycles on the streets of Asaba has become prominent in the last couple of days.

While some passengers that usually patronized Okada told our reporter that they were not comfortable with the ban as the tricycles would not be able to go into rough terrains, others heaved a sigh of relief over the ban.

Commissioning 1,250 tricycles to be used in place of motorcycles, the governor had warned politicians not to interfere with the distribution of the tricycles as it was exclusively reserved for commercial motorcycle operators.

The governor, who subsidized the cost of the tricycles up to 70 per cent, from N400,000 to N150,000, warned operators of the tricycles to restrict themselves to routes approved for them.

He noted that the introduction of the tricycles was to replace and gradually phase out commercial motorcycles as part of measures to ensure safety in the transport sector and promote security in the state.

naptu2:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/11/okada-ban-in-delta-no-going-back-on-nov-1-date-commissioner/

trigar12: Good. THE OKADA MEN ARE NOT PROTESTING OVER THERE BUT THEY ARE TAKING LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT TO COURT. Hmmm

trigar12: Good. THE OKADA MEN ARE NOT PROTESTING OVER THERE BUT THEY ARE TAKING LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT TO COURT. Hmmm

promkingzz: I really do not pray this happens but I await to see a rise in street crimes in asaba. I hope emmanuel uduaghan planned for that too! Asaba get road? Where the keke wan pass?? Mtcheww!

Sam Milla: Yea, i saw them protesting all over the place yesterday in Asaba .

It is just a pity that the govt only bans and bans without providing even a slight alternative

sylve11: Men u need to see the masses suffering here in warri this morning. I have always stand on this 'always provide measures before banning anything used by the masses'. The roads are bad in warri and it environs. The buses selects particular locations to drive, everything is almost upside down in delta state; and Nigeria is not better. The development is good, but put measures in place before banning.

Aafulenu: they are not protesting cos the govt provided an alternative ie
tricycles (keke napep) at a very subsidised rate. did fashola do
same?

philips70:

Dont waste your energy, if street crimes increase the security operatives will up their game. Okada is a menace and it will forever remain a menace. They should find other means of livelihood. After all people loose jobs every day in other sectors.

promkingzz:

See ur mouth na, typical Nigerian! Okada is a menace but the government who has indeed given those okada men no other means to survive is not d chief menace abi? You talk about upping security measures as if its the first of such kind of measurements we've expected from the government with no absolute solution or actions to follow up. Go and see the roads the keke napeps are expected to ply on, government officials don't even ply that part of town so they have no idea how messed up the streets of asaba is becoming due to neglect. My brother you know nothing about what you are saying

Kx: Delta State provided a highly subsidized alternative just like Akwa Ibom b4 they went ahead to ban okada.

Dont this governors do peer review? Why was Fash's case different?

thelastPope: This is how it should be done! Fashola should go back to school. Lol

Aafulenu:

they are not protesting cos the govt provided an alternative ie tricycles (keke napep) at a very subsidised rate. did fashola do same?

kunle86: Nigerian government our making alot of mistakes, because after okada ban u wil definitely experience mass rubbery in the town, because majority of those okada guys are bad boys, but that okada gave them some earnings beware.