Where do you stand on Okada useage in Nigeria?
It seems that state after state are dropping the idea. Abuja, Imo, Delta, Lagos, and i believe Enugu and Rivers have all set bans or restrictions on the practice.
I think it's foolish to try to pretend that the Lagos ban was an attack on igbos because igbos don't constitute half to Okada men in Lagos. Okada driving is one of the only things that all nigerian tribes do in large numbers, anyone trying to say otherwise is looking or trouble where it doesn't exist. That's a detail though, the main issue is this.

Nigeria's youth population is dangerously enormous, over 75% of the people in Nigeria today are under 30. Our economy is rich, but it's structured poorly. By this i mean it's very anti-highering and hard for people to get jobs, informal and hard for companies to grow and be regulated, and focused on the activities of the only generation (market consumerism, farming).

Okada is one of the things the young created to employ themselves and due to the actions of a many drivers that avenue is closing for everyone.
What do you think governments can do to compensate those that lost their work through okada bannings? These people are young and angry and if not handled carefully (which isn't in the nigerian government vocabulary) they can set this country on fire to an extent that will put Boko Haram to shame.

I personally believe that if nigeria want to keep it's self from implosion, the generation in power needs to completely revamp the STRUCTURE of the economy. The Government isn't here to 'create jobs' but it can create an environment where employment of the young is possible. You're more likely to see a 70yr old man with work than a 25 year old man, and this is a problem.


Markets: Markets need to be abolished. They are a central part of our history and culture, i understand that, but they need to go in this country is to move forward. This is the way people decided was best to sell things centuries ago, it's no longer the case. Replacing them with grocers ensures that youth are employed. Modern companies need modern people, and the young are more intouch with computer technology, retail shopping and global trends which makes them ideal candidates for employment. Markets are a major employer of labor in Nigeria, easily one of the largest but the employment is stagnant and unreliable.
For example, a market woman can't plan for tomorrow because she doesn't know how much she will make today. Retailers pay wages, and higher young able people. If someone is receiving wages they can plan months, even years ahead of time. The desperation for money and taking extreme risks, like driving an okada at maddening speeds, is gone. People are more level headed and at peace when they receive wages instead of every waking day being a gamble on how much money you will receive.

If this is done, every other village will have cause to have a Shoprite or something similar, talkless of cities. Of course, many villages will disappear because they're not viable in the modern market, but that's ok, we need to melt down the feudal structures of the past.

Farms: Young people need to return to agriculture. Their own ego is more than 50% of their problem. Work is in Nigeria but most youths feel that too many reasonable and respectable jobs are below them. To them, a farmer is a suffering man and this is VERY far from the truth. The reason they have this perception is because their grandparents and sometimes parents are substance farmers that used outdated measures that ensured they never earned enough to enter the middle class. In America, farmers are known to be rich men. Their children are blessed for life because banks are comfortable loaning them large amounts of money to start businesses or even expand their farms. The government needs to focus on establishing a corporate farm culture and, by force, restricting or banning substance farming so that the corporate farms will have space to grow.


Unemployment insurance: People need to know that if they lose their job somebody will pay for them to survive while they look for another job. The reason why kidnapping is running rampant in the South East is because many south eastern youths travel to countries illegally and are quickly deported. Most of the kidnappers in the southeast are deportees and failed business peoples, including former okada riders and people who's containers have been ban. Owerri and Abuja have both ban containers and i remember the influx of people in 2006 that came back to the village desperate with no plan. To cut the level of desperation, I believe all business owners and employees should pay into privately owned but government required social insurance plans. If they lose their work and were registered they can be paid minimum wage for six months. the same policy exists in the US and it keeps people from having heart attacks or turning into armed robbers once they lose their jobs. Young people have a steep fear of failure that older people don't have, this should be taken in consideration with government policy.