The Lagos State Government has said that no motorcycle operator (Okada) should carry any visibly pregnant woman or school aged children or women with babies strapped at their backs.

To this end, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, at Alausa, Ikeja, said yesterday that with effect from Thursday, July 1, 2010, the Government would commence the full enforcement of all road traffic laws and regulations guiding Okada operation in the state.

Nairalanders whats your take on this?

hope they will also provide maternity cabs for them. It's an ok move but cant they just simply ban all bikes?

@poster
so there are pregnant women out there willing to ride okada with big bellies and who needed the gov. to remind them that this was highly dangerous?!

Good step in a great direction. And also it is a great step in a good direction.

I fear this Okada Riders soo much.

Though i still take the risk sometimes, but only within a street to another.

Neva on any busy road.

But for the expectant mothers, be responsible for the baby's sake.

Keep yourself and the unborn star. Shun recklessness.

meggieblac:

hope they will also provide maternity cabs for them. It's an ok move but cant they just simply ban all bikes?

That would be great, but how about when you need to get somewhere fast and beat traffic, or in (remote) areas where there buses dont come close to your destination, for some of us who dont have cars?

I think okadas are a neccessary evil. We just need to exercise a lot of caution with them.

I wish we could someday have proper licensing and scrutiny of okada riders. Drunk riding, overspeeding and unroadworthy bikes is rampant.

Till then, shine your eye before mounting these things so you can arrive alive.

meggieblac, hope they will also provide maternity cabs for them. It's an ok move but cant they just simply ban all bikes?

Have you and your govt provided another means of livelihhood for them?

No responsible person takes okada to any destination unless it is abolutely necessary. So in a situation of necessity what do you want a pregnant woman to do? Trek? No way!!! My prayer is that not until an alternative arrangement is fashioned out, okada transportation will continue to play a very big role in our economy. Banning okada, therefore, is not an intelligent solution. It will rather compound the transportation problem. BRF shd do better than just baning them.

Nice move though very dicey. Just wonder wat next they will cum up wif

I think the best thing is to restrict the movement period for Okada (say 6.00am to 7.00pm) if one's not in place already rather than banning them completely. For the pregnant women ban on Okada,it's a fantastic move. They should stop putting their lives and that of their unborn babies to risk.

This is a good development. cos i could remember an incident that happened sometimes towards the end of last year where a pregnant woman was crushed to death close to  bonny camp. asides from that, other incidents of pregnant women or women with children at their back having accidents on motor bikes. I will congratulate the lagos state govt for this development. At least, they've saved some lives that would have been lost through okada accidents.

As much as i praise las gidi govt, i think this a senseless move.First of all, nobody in their sane mind would climb okada if they had a better means of transport e.g a car.Second, there are people who live in areas that cannot be accessed by vehicles and only okada can access them.Third, if you ban them from climbing okada, what replacement have they provided to compensate?

Fashola is by far one of the best governors Nigeria has ever produced and i hope he becomes president one day but this new development is totally SENSELESS! ! !

End of!

@Eros u just made an interesting non-sence statement. correct urself pls, thanx!

The govt is statain the blooming obvious!!

So what will happen is they use okada, They will imprison mother and baby as usual? or punish the okada man- whats the punishment/fine?

believe me:

The Lagos State Government has said that no motorcycle operator (Okada) should carry any visibly pregnant woman or school aged children or women with babies strapped at their backs.

To this end, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, at Alausa, Ikeja, said yesterday that with effect from [b]Thursday, July 1, 2010, the Government would commence the full enforcement of all road traffic laws and regulations guiding Okada operation in the state.[/b]
Nairalanders whats your take on this?

Bravo!! 6 months to the end of the tenure they are now going to enforce the law? so which road traffic laws having they been 'enforcing' ?

Those ladies with natural big tommy are in trouble too.

Those ladies with natural big tommy are in trouble too.

All rubbish!!!

Na police go happy pass b'cos, it's certain say some PW go stil dey enter okada and if police catch dem, okada man go settle the police and from there, they (okadaman & police) are now friends. if the police see the okada man with PW nextime, 'em go just throwey face like say 'em no see anytin, and from there sef, okada man go dey charge xtra money for PW, b'cos 'em go tell d PW say 'em go settle police for road, and along d way, if dem no see police for road, na'em be say na d okada man gain b dat. if una like make una dey think say goffment dey try, any law wey dem bring, na d police peeps e dey favour pass b'cos na dem go usam dey chop pass.            

Daz ma opinion!

Woke4all:

Those ladies with natural big tommy are in trouble too.

Now that's funny!

@Woke4all , u r not serious , lol

i believe all dose supporting d govt on banning pregnant women, nursing mothers and under 17 from taking okada are not residents of iyana ipaja, abule egba, igando etc. if dey r, they will knw d necessity of okada.

d govt should do dat if der'l be al alternative for these set of people.

tytylayor:

@Woke4all , u r not serious , lol

i believe all dose supporting d govt on banning pregnant women, nursing mothers and under 17 from taking okada are not residents of iyana ipaja, abule egba, igando etc. if dey r, they will knw d necessity of okada.

d govt should do dat if der'l be al alternative for these set of people.

If I have my way, they should be totally banned and probably replaced with either Keke Napep or proper buses, they have been banned in some other states and people are coping. They are a great nuisance.

Banning pregnant women from riding Okada is good?

Kobojunkie:

Banning pregnant women from riding Okada is good?

Banning pregnant women from riding Okada is good, those guys are suicidal.

i hope that wont lead to wahala when they want to give birth

imagine a scenerio when the roads are blocked and the pregnant woman is in labour

would okada suffice at the point in time?

blanket ban may not be the best afterall

expand the roads and make the okadas useless

What is the woman is not heavy?Will on-the-spot pregnancy tests be done on women riding okadas?

tkb417:

i hope that wont lead to wahala when they want to give birth

imagine a scenerio when the roads are blocked and the pregnant woman is in labour

would okada suffice at the point in time?

blanket ban may not be the best afterall

expand the roads and make the okadas useless

Labour is not a 1 hour thing, I have driven my wife in Third Mainland Traffic when she was about to give birth and she still got to the hospital, stayed for about 2 hours before she gave birth(the experience na die sha o). Imagine a woman in Labour on Okada.

hercules07:

Banning pregnant women from riding Okada is good, those guys are suicidal.

So SHARIA type BAN is what you impose on these woman for being pregnant? Do you realize what a BAN like this implies?

hercules07:

Labour is not a 1 hour thing, I have driven my wife in Third Mainland Traffic when she was about to give birth and she still got to the hospital, stayed for about 2 hours before she gave birth(the experience na die sha o). Imagine a woman in Labour on Okada.

when the time is near, my wife will move to the hospital

cant drive a pregnant woman in labour, ill kill the 2 of us in fear

best thing is to have the hospital near my house

Kobojunkie:

So SHARIA type BAN is what you impose on these woman for being pregnant? Do you realize what a BAN like this implies?

Whether it is SHARIA BAN o, or not, it is for the health of the pregnant woman, the menace of the Okada riders is just too much. Hope you have seen them in action on Ikorodu road or even on the Third Mainland bridge. They have been totally banned in PH and the people are moving on with their lives, yes there will be some discomfort,, but the benefits outweigh the discomfort jare.

Okada is not good for the above mentioned people but the fact is that there is no alternative. Abeg make dem no trek one day collapse.

tkb417:


when the time is near, my wife will move to the hospital

cant drive a pregnant woman in labour, ill kill the 2 of us in fear

best thing is to have the hospital near my house

She insisted on going to work o, infact she had to walk about 700 meters to where I was parked (took her about 45 minutes because of the pain) because of the construction going on in Marina around that time. To all the ladies in the house una well done o, labour pain no get part two o.

hercules07:

Whether it is SHARIA BAN o, or not, it is for the health of the pregnant woman, the menace of the Okada riders is just too much. Hope you have seen them in action on Ikorodu road or even on the Third Mainland bridge. They have been totally banned in PH and the people are moving on with their lives, yes there will be some discomfort,, but the benefits outweigh the discomfort jare.

How do you know it is not good for their health? Answer that first . . . . how did you come to that conclusion by this ban?

So rather than directly tackling the Okada issue head on, the freedoms of a group of people in the society should be impinged on instead? So an Okada man cannot drive his pregnant wife to the hospital, even gently to the hospital? Pregnant woman who own motorbikes are barred from riding them for the duration of their pregnancy even when their is NO evidence to prove that riding on Okada is bad for the babies health?