It goes without saying that the move by Gov. Babajide Sanwolu of Lagos state in May 2021 to completely phase out motorbikes, popularly known as Okada in Lagos (less than 2months from now) is worth applauding. A lot of thoughts, efforts and actions have gone into creating alternatives for these soon to be banned Okadas. The advance notice given equally shows that the central government of Lagos has a heart, especially when compared with the manner/suddenness of previous attempts and actual Okada ban in different parts of Nigeria. The injection of these locally made mini-buses will inevitably add more (manufacturing and transport service) jobs and I dare say, very sustainable jobs fueled by an ever growing number of commuters in Lagos. This also is worth applauding. Why I am not short of praises is because there is a clear and concerted effort on the part of the Lagos state government to ensure that Lagosians don't suffer when these motorbikes are no more on our streets. The real question here is, are these measures enough?

NO.

The Lagos state government has injected 500 new mini-buses which are to ply inner streets of Lagos, in addition to that, a solemn promise has been made to add more of these buses to ensure the last-mile transportation needs of commuters in Lagos are adequately addressed. This is the ideal plan that holds up well only on paper. In practice, if this is executed as is, Lagos would inevitably experience hard biting levels of traffic; why so?

Three words: COMMUTER DECONGESTION FREQUENCY

Okadas do for us what trains, cable cabs and electric trams in developed countries do for them. However, before I talk more about the theory of this decongestion frequency, let's first understand the inevitable pitfalls that adding more vehicles on significantly tighter roads will bring about when in place:

1. Firstly, we are bound to have more traffic congestions in these tight and overburdened inner roads due to wider vehicles replacing okadas.
2. Naturally, when traffic in inner roads doesn't flow as quickly as it should, such speedily spills into the connecting main roads and express roads; this further compounds the traffic situation.
3. Lastly, you have more people congestion/crowds around bus stops, which is an enticing canvass for Lagos robbers/pick-pockets to paint these new flashpoints red. This is perfect recipe for panic and disorderliness especially when its dark, whether late in the evening or early in the morning.

By virtue of the size and capability of Okadas to maneuver tight roads, these motorcycles are able to move more individuals per time (and speedily make return trips) which helps decongest crowds in bus stops. Even with motorcycles we still have crowds, how much more when Okadas are no more? This means one has to wait for these mini-buses or keke (tricycles) to drop off passengers at significantly higher number of stops before making a return trip (still in traffic) to the congested bus stops (to commute more persons from bus stop to door-step). This is commuter decongestion frequency explained in a snap.

Truth is, the buses are already being manufactured in their numbers and are destined for the inner roads of Lagos, so whether or not Okadas are banned we are most likely doomed and our fate of more traffic is already sealed.

BUT IT MUST NOT BE SO……..

It's pointless pointing out a myriad of ill possibilities if Okadas are banned without at least attempting to suggest a few solutions; at the risk of coming off as one blowing his trumpet, I think I have a few jaw dropping ideas in mind. Putting out these ideas is in no way to stress your nice jaws, as the goal is to ensure Lagosians are not stressed commuting and are not forced into undesired trekking. Needless to say, trekking under Lagos sun is very different from trekking on the streets of New York in a bright sunny day; one can be seen as exercise while the latter is simply 'suffering'. Below are some of my ideas on possible solutions.

Run a truly Virtual/Flexible Labour economy: the first point of call will be creating a mandatory flexible working policy for some offices/businesses in Lagos. A sample policy will be ensuring that at least 50% of a typical workforce do not resume and close at the same time as the other 50%. Mandatory virtual work for a ratio of workers within an organization in certain industries can also be explored. The goal is simply to kill rush hour traffic. We have traffic as it is from Monday to Friday because almost every worker leaves home and/or closes from offices at the same; hence any policy to ensure this does not happen will drastically reduce traffic.
This proposed flexible economy is not limited to solving traffic crises, as such can be adopted by government agencies to reduce the size of the civil service without people having to lose their jobs. I believe labour laws can be tweaked to accommodate definitions for reduced pay in view of reduced work time without workers being captured as working part-time. This might as well be a sleeker approach to quell the current NLC (Nigeria Labour Congress)/Kaduna state government crises; the state government will achieve its goal of reducing recurrent non-capital expenses and workers will get to keep their jobs with more time to inject in other equally meaningful businesses with a basic guarantee of an income at the end of the month. Also the Federal government of Nigeria can burrow a leaf, as we live in new times that only forward thinking approaches to solving problems should thrive.
The beauty about this proposition is that this can be implemented to a large extent by the private sector without having to wait for any government. This should possibly be an eureka moment for virtual office businesses killing themselves to have V.I and Lekki addresses to think more broadly, expand on their value propositions and collaborate more with businesses.

Switch up bus stops to become 'stretch points': Bicycles have the same maneuverability as Okadas and can help improve commuter decongestion frequency. But the problem here is that for these increased frequencies to be truly attained during peak hours, there must be a good balance of supply and demand to ensure bicycles are returned quickly to congested zones during peak hours (after being ridden from Bus stop to home). In view of this problem, I came up with a theory where physical exercising activities will take place at the same time with rush hours (typically in the morning and in the evening); to put it simply, the exercising folks will ensure that these shared bicycles are returned on time for the 'back from work folks' to cycle back home. Like I stated earlier, it's an untested theory which I hope will spark new thinking in view of shared bicycle mobility which can be implemented by last-mile ride-hailing technology platforms.

Make it easier for Private vehicle owners car pool: chances are that when heading home we see our neighbours amongst the crowd at bus stops, but we drive by because we are unsure of how that LASTMA or POLICE official will react. Rather than risk telling bitter stories, we happily wear the crown of being unkind neighbours that feel too big to help; but that’s by the way. Lagos state government can have an agreement with NURTW to allow private vehicles car pool (picking up passengers at bus stops) without the fear of their vehicles being impounded. This will increase the number of passengers per vehicle which will help optimize commuting, reduce carbon footprints and comparatively reduce traffic by cutting down number of vehicles on the road.

In conclusion, for there to be a lasting solution for traffic in Lagos and an effective system for comfortable last mile transit, Lagosians must experience a gradual mental shift/behavioural change to accommodate the disruption of having to commute without Okadas. This will take time and it will only be wise for government to extend the deadline for ban of bikes and allow these new alternatives (amongst other measures) to gradually play out and hopefully demonstrate why these approaches are superior to the risky use of Okada.

Lagos is always at the fore-front of innovation, paving the way for other states in Nigeria. It's not uncommon for other state governments in Nigeria to replicate successful policies implemented in Lagos and these further mounts the pressure on Lagos to get it right and serve as a model state for these unique transport innovations. This is why I am always pained when I remember the Late ex-governor Lateef Jakande's proposed/contracted Lagos Metro-rail which was shoved aside around 1983; if it wasn’t, Nigeria won't be where she is today, struggling to phase out Okadas.

In all let's stay positive because slow motion is better than no motion. The future is indeed bright.

Akan Inyang.

Well said sir.
These people in Government aren't strategic.
They don't consider private sector workers or the multitaskers who are at the mercy of the traffic in the state.

Part of the reasons for ban is INSECURITY. Guns were found kept inside an okada.
They should beef up measures to increase their security parameters.

The evil alleged to be committed by okadas is not up to the disaster in waiting at Oshodi, Agege and other popular areas.
They now Rob in daylight.
You see those homeless youths and teenagers in their hundreds. These people are vulnerable to executing any bad idea BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO SURVIVE. That is a security threat

The Government has a lot to do rather than banning of okadas

Very well written. Makes for a good read. Some areas that were not mentioned were how Okada usage could become safer, how cyclists and car pool drivers would have security

I do not like okadas, but it is so difficult to move around without them. They are some sort of necessary evil seeing how unstructured the transportation planning in Lagos is. I would barter to say a better strategy - like rider identification and monitoring would be better than an outright ban - at least until transportation routes are a better organised in the city.

This is well written. In addition to the ban, I believe LAGOS state should reconsider the ban on regulated motorcycles as those barely constituted a security risk to lagosians. They were also relatively safer as both rider and passenger wore helmets. If possible, a lane could be created for them on major roads. GOKADA/MAXOKADA were doing well and should never have been banned.


Honestly, I don’t think Lagosians can survive without bikes that ply inside the streets.


Lalasticlala, please forward to front page.