By Modey Peters
November 1, 2009 11:05PMT


Come November 15, commercial motorcyclists will no more operate on the streets of Calabar metropolis, although they could still work within rural parts of the capital city and outlying districts, the Cross River State government said at the weekend.

The special adviser to the state governor on public transportation, Gabriel Okulaja, who announced the ban in a meeting with the leaders of commercial cyclists union, said any operator seen in the metropolis with a passenger after the deadline will be arrested.

The new directive will affect more than half of the 120,000 commercial cyclists (called Alalook) in the city.

To cushion the effect of the ban, Mr. Okulaja said 250 additional taxi cabs will soon join the fleet of cars made available to taxi drivers last year by government.

“The new taxi scheme was a gradual process to rid the streets of Calabar of rickety vehicles,” he said. “The 250 cars will be sold to cyclists who meet the state government’s conditions.” The conditions include membership of a recognised cooperative society, guarantee by a viable commercial bank of the loan sought and a convincing commitment not to default in payment.”

Government’s plan, he said, is to flood all the roads and streets of Calabar with 500 taxi cabs in the next two years and thus do away with the culture of carrying passengers on bikes.

“There’s hardly a day in Calabar that we do not record one accident or the other,” he said. “At both the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and General Hospital, Calabar, there are special wards for victims of motor bike accidents.” The special adviser said when the ban comes into effect, taxi drivers no longer have to stick to designated routes.

The new taxi scheme, he said, seeks to bring dignity to intra-city travelling after the discovery that carrying people on motorcycles and overspeeding by the riders are the major causes of road accidents in the metropolis.

Those willing to take up the scheme will do so under a private-public-partnership arrangement. The loan for this is being guaranteed by the state government, which wants Calabar to maintain its status as gateway to tourism in the state, Mr. Okulaja said.

The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Edet Okon Asim, said the ban on Okada business in Calabar also became necessary as some cyclists use their bikes to rob.

Shabby operators

“Since Cross River is now the preferred tourism destination in West Africa, it behoves the state government to put in place a befitting taxi scheme for the ease of local and foreign tourists,” Mr. Asim said.

He said Okada operators are defacing the streets of Calabar with their worn-out machines and shabby appearance, all of which does not befit the clean and green nature of the city.

But Effiong Akpanudo, a commercial motorcyclist of 15 years, faulted government for the decision and branded it unworkable.

“In this city, there are no factories and companies to employ people. The cheapest means of self-employment is this Alalook business,” he said.

The Akwa Ibom State-born cyclist and many others interviewed said the ban will lead to increase in crime, as those who can no more fend for themselves will resort to crime to eke out a living. The education of their children will also suffer, they added.

The respondents called on Liyel Imoke, the state governor, to suspend the ban for now as most streets in Calabar Municipal Council and Calabar South are not accessible by taxi and other vehicles.

An official of the motorcyclists union, who didn’t want his name mentioned, also said the ban will affect the state government. Following the ceding of 76 oil wells to Akwa Ibom State, the state has depended heavily on taxes, haulage fees, levies and daily toll paid by cyclists and taxi drivers. This, he said, will be affected by the ban.


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5476303-146/Out_of_bounds_to_Okada_riders.csp

I think it would've been best it the state govt had made the okada drivers undergo special training to ensure that they drive carefully and safely obeying all traffic regulations and make them wear a state uniform. This would be better than a straightforward ban and everybody would be happy.

And how does he expect them to survive. The government should simply train them and make it compulsary to wear helmets. like u said^^^

I will like to caution the state government at this juncture. In as much as I keep commending the good works at Calabar, and Cross River State,I will advise them to be very careful on this. This is a very sensitìvè issue. That state is 100 % civil service state, without any known company or factory. The only source of lively hood is service and Okada riding. For every okada rider there, there is at least a family of 4 waiting for the proceed at the end of the day.

How will all these families feed if these ban is enforced without jobs being created. Infact, apart from Uyo, Calabar has the highest number of Okada riders in Nigeria. So, what happens after the ban is enforced, and jobs are not created.

The new directive will affect more than half of the 120,000 commercial cyclists (called Alalook) in the city


120,000 human beings except this statistics is wrong,  what is the population of Calabar. It will mean 1 in 10 persons in Calabar is an okada rider that is assuming the population is 1 million. If there is any truth in this statistics I am afraid the state will be under seige in the not too far future. Men of the over-world who are simply plying their trade with all honesty and sincerity will become men of the under-world.

I just hope the goverment of Cross River State has the resources and the wherewithal to stop it in its tract,  the anticipated sudden avalanche of hungry and desperate maurauders, that will descend on calabar like a tone of bricks.

I think okadas should be banned

KnowAll:

The new directive will affect more than half of the 120,000 commercial cyclists (called Alalook) in the city


120,000 human beings except this statistics is wrong,  what is the population of Calabar. It will mean 1 in 10 persons in Calabar is an okada rider that is assuming the population is 1 million. 

It's kind of insulting to say that there are 1 million people in Cross River, one of the biggest states in Nigeria. Even the 1991 (shabby) census put them at 2 million.

It's kind of insulting to say that there are 1 million people in Cross River, one of the biggest states in Nigeria. Even the 1991 (shabby) census put them at 2 million.


We are talking of Calabar City, go and read the article again, it is about Calabar and not Cross River State in general. Why would any sane govement ban Okada in rural Cross River State that is incomprenhensible.

There have been many things banned in Calabar, but Okada might be going too far.

what the fuk is wrong with these people?!?!
how the hell can you ban okadas? that is a lot of people's way of transportation as well as income for the household.
these people are mumu people if they dont see okadas is what feed's a lot of their citizens.
this is just absurd! this makes no sense at all.
how the hell can you BAN AN OKADA?
GOSH, WONDERS SHALL NEVER END.
fools.

THE-AMAKA:

what the fuk is wrong with these people?!?!
how the hell can you ban okadas? that is a lot of people's way of transportation as well as income for the household.
these people are mumu people if they dont see okadas is what feed's a lot of their citizens.
this is just absurd! this makes no sense at all.
how the hell can you BAN AN OKADA?
GOSH, WONDERS SHALL NEVER END.
fools.

The annoying part of this is that, Okada feeds the citizens, and makes mobility easier for both University of Calabar students and Cross River State University of Technology. Infact, some of the locals there, go to school with the proceed of this Okada business.

That means Calabar will become sane like Abuja and PH where there are no okadas

Nigerian democracy

government of the elite, by the elite and for the elite( of course the word elite is subject to interpretation - u can substitute kleptocrat)

the masses can go to hell

Okada should be banned from major roads. They should be restricted to inner streets and rural areas.
The risk they pose on major roads is too great. There are alternative means of transportation - buses, mopeds  and taxis. People should also learn to walk - it is very good exercise.

Finding alternative means of lively hood may be hard at first for the operators but they will definitely find something if they put their minds to it. Don't banks and factories retrench thousands of staff and life still goes on?

THE-AMAKA:

what the fuk is wrong with these people?!?!
how the hell can you ban okadas? that is a lot of people's way of transportation as well as income for the household.
these people are mumu people if they dont see okadas is what feed's a lot of their citizens.
this is just absurd! this makes no sense at all.
how the hell can you BAN AN OKADA?
GOSH, WONDERS SHALL NEVER END.
fools.

Don't be an ignoramus. The okada issue is fast becoming a PANDEMIC. The earlier it is banned, the better. If they had done it 10yrs ago, we won't have the problem we have today. They listened to sympathetic bigots and hence the problem.
I don't live in Calabar so i will use lagos as my example.
90% of Okada riders we have in lagos today are either from niger republic,mali, senegal or the northern part of nigeria. (Don't be fooled, they are not all hausa. most of them are foreigners). They troop in everyday into Lagos because their kinsmen have alerted them that anyone can enter Lagos today and start riding an Okada the next day to make money. Commercia bike riding is unnacceptable to society. People die everyday on Lekki-epe expressway due to Okada.Hospitals are filled with Okada victims. There is no form of training that we prevent the kind of deaths we get on these roads. Why should several commercial bikes be on highways that have vehicles moving at over 100km/hr?
Personal bikes on the other hand are acceptable because you don't have as many so the accident ration will be reduced.

Okada's should be banned from all highways and restrained to ONLY STREETS. They should be banned for the tricycles or keke Napep that are safer.
With regards to the jobs, abegi, these people had other things they were doing before they trooped into okada business because it is open for all.
BAN THE thing ALready

good move. . .na Akwa Ibom remain

@ phuck_NL

Nicely said!

Ban okada = more potential ND agitators and kidnappers.
sweet!!
I'm sure our leaders are proficient and learned.
They got very good grades in primary school.
LMAO.

thank God,Thank you Gov.Imoke!! those wild idiots should go back to their various states and stop killing pple in

Calabar. it was thought impossible to ban them in port harcourt city but Amaechi curbed their imagination of

invincibility. those guys are wild ,dirty, unruly  and very disorganized. they should go and learn trades.what of

when there were no bikes?? are they not surviving in port harcourt since the ban. abeg oga Imoke pursue away

those miscreants jare.

those bastards killed a very dear friend and classmate. a very promising singer because of unecessary over

speeding. we all watched Tony(RIP) die because of an ogogoro induced okada accident.thank God Unical

students dealt with the idiot appropriately. i almost lost my life on two occassions.abeg peeps forget sentiments

those guys are killers pure and simple,if they really care for their families they should go engage themselves in

meaningful pursuits and stop killing innocent pple.enough said

mmaks:

[b]thank God,Thank you Gov.Imoke!! those wild idiots should go back to their various states and stop killing pple in

Calabar. [/b]it was thought impossible to ban them in port harcourt city but Amaechi curbed their imagination of

invincibility. those guys are wild ,dirty, unruly  and very disorganized. they should go and learn trades.what of

when there were no bikes?? are they not surviving in port harcourt since the ban. abeg oga Imoke pursue away

those miscreants jare.

`Well then the stste Govt should do something about it. Like make sure they undergo special training to obtain a special licence which they will not get until they pass a special test which shows they know how to drive carefully obeying all road and traffic regulations

phuck_NL:

Don't be an ignoramus. The okada issue is fast becoming a PANDEMIC. The earlier it is banned, the better. If they had done it 10yrs ago, we won't have the problem we have today. They listened to sympathetic bigots and hence the problem.
I don't live in Calabar so i will use lagos as my example.
90% of Okada riders we have in lagos today are either from niger republic,mali, senegal or the northern part of nigeria. (Don't be fooled, they are not all hausa. most of them are foreigners). They troop in everyday into Lagos because their kinsmen have alerted them that anyone can enter Lagos today and start riding an Okada the next day to make money. Commercia bike riding is unnacceptable to society. People die everyday on Lekki-epe expressway due to Okada.Hospitals are filled with Okada victims. There is no form of training that we prevent the kind of deaths we get on these roads. Why should several commercial bikes be on highways that have vehicles moving at over 100km/hr?
Personal bikes on the other hand are acceptable because you don't have as many so the accident ration will be reduced.

Okada's should be banned from all highways and restrained to ONLY STREETS. They should be banned for the tricycles or keke Napep that are safer.
With regards to the jobs, abegi, these people had other things they were doing before they trooped into okada business because it is open for all.
BAN THE thing ALready

attack of the sheltered silver spooners

90% of okada riders in lagos are from niger republic etal - abegi - who has ever seen an okada rider with arab features - u actually believe your bs?

okada riders are a necessary evil in places like lagos . anyone who has ever had to act on a deadline and been confronted by a traffic jam can attest to that.

oyb:

attack of the sheltered silver spooners

90% of okada riders in lagos are from niger republic etal - abegi - who has ever seen an okada rider with arab features - u actually believe your bs?

okada riders are a necessary evil in places like lagos . anyone who has ever had to act on a deadline and been confronted by a traffic jam can attest to that.

Where in Lagos do you live? I stand by my assertion.
Traffic jam is not an excuse to risk your life. Everyone knows the traffic situation in lagos. If you need to get somewhere. PLAN. Wake up earlier or something. Unfortunately for you, i am not from a wealthy family. I do not own a car. No one in Lagos has "Danfo'd" more than me.
I do not take Okada's because i can not let an illiterate rider who just arrived a few days in Lagos to break my leg.
Okada issue simply follows the law of demad and supply. If we realise d true dangers, we will stop patronising them and they will stop.
i see women with babies on their backs riding okada's and i wish GOD could give me an invisible BIG HAND to SLAP the living daylight out of them.
Riding an Okada puts your life in danger 80% of the time. Most okada riders have been involved in one accident or the other but they choose to continue until the day they get a FATAL accident.

^^^^

when you actually start working(shebi u just wan enter uni), we will see if this so called PLAN will work

i remember in 2004, when i had an interview. i left home at least an hour early. the taxi i took broke down on the bridge. i had to enter another. it started raining. the traffic was held up to blazes. i hopped on an okada, made it to my interview.

i would never have gotten there on time if not for okadas. all your noise about planning and leaving early is just noise.

if you really want to go on about risking your life, then u better stay at home. everyday i put my life in danger when i drive to or from work - trigger happy policemen, trailer drivers, area boys - the list does not end. okadas are just part of it.

all one can do is cope with it while planning/hoping for a change in personal circumstances that will reduce one's need to utilize them.

oyb:

^^^^

when you actually start working(shebi u just wan enter uni), we will see if this so called PLAN will work

i remember in 2004, when i had an interview. i left home at least an hour early. the taxi i took broke down on the bridge. i had to enter another. it started raining. the traffic was held up to blazes. i hopped on an okada, made it to my interview.

i would never have gotten there on time if not for okadas. all your noise about planning and leaving early is just noise.

if you really want to go on about risking your life, then u better stay at home. everyday i put my life in danger when i drive to or from work - trigger happy policemen, trailer drivers, area boys - the list does not end. okadas are just part of it.

all one can do is cope with it while planning/hoping for a change in personal circumstances that will reduce one's need to utilize them.

Your excuse is not good enough. So Okada's should be left alone because they help you get to your interviews on time? That is just Ludacris.
Lagos has had traffic issues long before the high number of Okadas. People made it to Interviews when there were no Okada's
I find it funny that anyone would risk their life and get on Okada. Maybe it is just me sha. I will never get on an okada for any reason. I have seen too many people die on highways and several others crippled becuase of okadas for me to be that ignorant.
If i know traffic may stop me from getting to my interview. I will stay at a location closer to the interview, a day before so i don't need to take an okada. Shikena.

@the bolded part. Why are you antagonizing yourself again. What personal circumstance will change that will stop you from using okada. Ur excuse is that it helps get thru traffic. Getting richer will not change the traffic situation na. ABi you want to start flying chopper service withing lagos.
By the way, OKADA's are not cheap. IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE TO UTILIZE AN OKADA THAN IT IS A DANFO OR BRT.

i just used one personal experience

people have several.

don't worry, when u start working, we will see how many of these lofty proposals you believe in are actually feasible.

when you get that call that there is an emergency at the other end of lagos and you are expected there RIGHT NOW and there is a hold up and your job is on the ine - we will see what you will do.

maybe you will blow grammer to oga( who also rode okadas when he had to) about how okadas are a threat to life and so you decide to take a danfo and get to the site right later

Fully support this, same was done in Abuja and the streets are alot more sane. Okada riding here is so barbaric, the okada riders however should be considered as priority in the taxi cab scheme loans,

I hope they have bought enough taxis and keke NAPEP to ameliorate the suffering of the masses as a result of the ban.

i cant belived this,i ve been to cal jst of resent n  most  of d roads are not motorable.d govt shld first put dis roads in oder befor ever tinking of banin okada if not its goin 2 be tough .

instead of banning the okada riders they would have simply converted to tricycles otherwise known as keke napep, and fut infastructures in place so that they will be good roads for them to ply. by banning okada is not the solution example is like them banning okada in lagos, it wont work simply because of the traffic situation, bad roads, congestions on third mainland bridge. in other countries abroad, they have alternative methods of transport system eg, trams, trains, underground. these things helps to reduce trafffic jams on the busy road and motorways.

by banning the okada riders, then all there are doing is making the economic situation worse beause some of them the okada is their only source of lively hood and when they take it away from them, they turn to armed robbers, kidnappers.

Ban Okada. . . . . . . . yeah, good move. Calabar is a clean and serene
city, a tourist destination of a sort. Okada operators constitute a nuisance
and should leave the streets. They have since been banned in Unical. Duke
tried reforming them by introducing uniforms, helmets and so on.

vicka:

i cant belived this,i ve been to cal jst of resent n most of d roads are not motorable.d govt shld first put dis roads in oder befor ever tinking of banin okada if not its goin 2 be tough .

Lie. Calabar has got good roads. Tell me the roads that are not motorable