Facts emerged on Wednesday that Lagos State Government may ban the use of commercial motorcycles also known as Okada in the ever busy metropolis in the New Year, 2012.

The Chairman of the Lagos Security Committee, Mr. Olusegun Kazeem, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, who submitted its report to the Lagos State Governor said the dangers of allowing operation of Okada in Lagos metropolis far outweighs the advantages.

The committee reconstituted by Governor Fashola to look into the worrisome menace of Okada riders in the state, noted that the use of motorcycles for commercial purpose in the state was not an officially recognized mode of transportation , noting that it was allowed as a result of social economic challenges in the country.

The committee, in its executive summary lamented that most of the Okada riders, who he said were illegal immigrants without data , roof over their heads constituted nuisance in the state and made their operation impossible to regulate .
About 70 percent of robbery operations in the state in the year gradually coming to a close, according to the report were carried out with the use of Okada, adding that its proliferation had health hazard as result of air pollution heating up the ozone layers and fuelling other effects of climate change.

Kazeem also disclosed that the use of Okada by male riders and passengers could lead to impotence, pointing out constant exposure of the male reproductive organs to vibration of the motorcycle machine could affect the nerves and render the person impotent in the long run.

He said over 1139 accident cases involving Okada riders were reported in the state government general hospitals alone , just as the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) recorded 1908 traffic violation by the riders.
The committee chairman, who urged the state government to be prepared to forego the revenue accruing to its coffers from issuance of numbers plates and riders identity cards said the problems caused by the operators were more than the benefits.

The report also blamed dearth of artisans in the state on the use of Okada by the youths to make quick money, saying the state government might consider it for transportation in rural part of the state, where there was no effective means of transportation. While receiving the report, the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, who commended the committee members for a job well done , said the state government would look at the recommendations and deliberate on it in the next Executive Council meeting and come up with its policy statement on it within two weeks.

Fashola said the security of lives and property in the state was very vital to any other aspiration of the residents , saying the state government would strive to tackle security challenges confronting the state .