God is beginning to punish the people for their stupidity. We warned the Okada riders that they would be banned if they voted for this man. They listened more to the crisp N1000 notes ACN handed out during the elections. Now, awuf don run belle! Go on soun jare, Fashola. Ban them all. Even ban Keke sef, while you're at it, and ban NURTW for supporting you so visibly in your repression of the people, like they did for you in Lekki over the toll-gate protest recently.

He always makes his supporters suffer. Commissioners were repaid with sacking. Fouad Oki was ingloriously suspended and removed for backing Fashola's return. People can't just see that he's just a ventriloquist's puppet, with Ojuyobo expertly manipulating the puppet from the front, and daring you all to open your dirty teeth in protest, so he can use NURTW and Supol. Hakeem Odumosu's RRS to smash them for you. Yeye people. Dem never ban una finish!

I so loved it when he socked it to the chattering middle classes in Lekki, who were bleating "Fashola is working, Lagos is working" during the election campaigns like demented he-goats. Come see millionaires running for cover in Lekki from Hakeem Odumosu and his men on the one hand, and Eleshin's thugs on the other!!! Ha ha ha! Fashola is cleaning up, for Tinubu!!

It will likely worsen unemployment and perhaps crime levels . the govt is not creating jobs for the people and now intends to frustrate the same people who have created a job for themselves.

The vacuum that will be created will lead to untold hardship becauset he transport system is grossly inadequate to cater for the transport needs of the people .Before the ban comes into effect, the govt should put in place a Railway service, a larger fleet of BRT Buses and Ferry service to cover the whole of Lagos transport network.

However,the govt may have a point because the okada system though a blessing is also a worrisome evil in many areas. Methinks,the govt can fashion out ways and plans to curtail their excesses than resort to an outright ban which may likely backfire somehow. For example, to organize them in zones for registration, enforce the use of crash helmets, enforce the use of road worthy bikes, training for the riders, uniforms that identify them etc.

When they banned Okada in P.H the next day the Okada men bought cars and where back in business the next day.
They visited all the police stns and mechanic parks and bought all the abandoned cars renovated them painted them taxi, others went into tricycle keke business
The main issue here is that we now have tricycles in Lagos. There is no where in Lagos that you want to go that a tricycle can not take you. Just ask questions at the parks. The rest you can walk, its safer and good exercise for the body, since the air will be much cleaner without Okada

The advantage of banning Okada in P.H was immense, you can now walk along the road comfortably for journeys up to 35mins walk. This you can't do now in Lagos b/cos the whole place is choked up by Okada. Emergency admissions in hospitals where also down about 70%

One of the bridges should also be closed for vehicles from the Island to allow only buses for quicker evacuation of commuters from the Island.

It will likely worsen unemployment and perhaps crime levels . the govt is not creating jobs for the people and now intends to frustrate the same people who have created a job for themselves.

Job Job Job Job thief self na job let every place quiet first and watch out the way OKADA people will think fast.   

Lagos State never experience one thing how beautiful it will look like when pedestrian from bus-stop walking majestically to their various homes then see rich and poor men exercising their body on the street and that is only way individual can knows what others filling for adjustment,not haste haste all the time without solution.Compare abroad

Messengers of death: Okada tightens grip on cities

Friday, 02 March 2012 20:35

    *Fast, handy but with death and broken bones on the trail

By Richard Ihediwa, Uche Nnorom (Makurdi), Edwin Olofu (Kano), Sam Egwu (Lokoja) Francis Iwuchukwu (Lagos) and Nankpah Bwakan (Jos)

They are everywhere and they share almost the same mentality; reckless, hasty, hungry for a fight and“ready to die”. “Okada”, “Yan Achaba”, “Going”, “Akaueke” (Cross River), “Inaga” (South East states). Commercial motorcyclists are now holding the nation with an iron grip which they are not ready to relax.

Presently, the Okada population in the country is placed at a conservative 20 million. They provide fast and urgent services but on their trail are tales of death and broken bones.
Every year, thousands of Nigerians are either sent to their early graves or crippled in accidents involving commercial motorcycles. Apart from accidents, some operators have become criminals involving in armed robbery, bag snatching, political violence ritual killings and other violent crimes. Largely, many of them have become merchants and messengers of death.

On the whole, among Okada operators, there appears to be a general sense of recklessness tinged with vivid frustration, anger and resentment to the society that breeds them. Across the nation, an ordinary Okada operator appears to have a bottled up resentment and is ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

Currently there is a growing army of operators daring even to ply on major highways even in major cities like Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Aba, Port Harcourt, Makurdi, Onitsha where they struggle for space with automobile and criminals leaving behind tyre prints of blood, tears and anguish.

The use of motorcycles as means of commercial transportation became popular in the early 1980 beginning with rural roads. It however experienced a boost in the 19990’s with government support especially as people engage them due to their ability to get to destinations faster than taxis and buses.

Currently, there are moves by the authorities to put a check in their activities but with their sheer population and prevailing economic situation breeding an ever growing army of unemployed youths, most of the checks have turned to be a case of binding the leviathan with wool thread.

The situation has been blamed on a number of factors. Unemployment is key factor as it has aggravated the general sense of frustration due to the economic problems in the nation. Also there are the factors of sheer criminality and poor upbringing.

Almost all the okada operators in the country took up the job out of frustration following their inability to get other well paid jobs. While some are university and high school graduates, others are stack illiterates forming an army of annoyed section of the society that appears to be seeking its pound of flesh on the system in their own bid to survive. There are cases of gang beatings where okada riders take on and beat up other road users during accidents. Fights have been known to flare up in rioting and setting of vehicles on fire.
Most accidents involving okada operators arise from recklessness, though operators will always blame other road users for misdemeanour. In many parts of the country okada riders are not licenced or trained. They make their commercial debut after a few hours of training sessions with frustration and quest to hit the days target as the principal driving force. This is especially for those who rented the motorcycles and must have to balance daily sums ranging from N400 to N600 depending on the city and condition of the bike. There are also cases of drunk and drugged riding in many parts of the country.

In Kano, there is no gainsaying the obvious that okada has come to stay and is not ready to leave. Popularly known as “Yan achaba” in the state, their population strength runs into hundreds of thousands. Some people insist that Kano is the headquarters of Okada in Nigeria, maybe followed by Lagos.

Apparently because of inadequate numbers of taxis and busses in the state, commuters have found the achaba their most convenient means of reaching their respective destinations and this demand has triggered the influx of more motorcycle dealers and achaba riders into Kano metropolis in particular.

Good as the services of the achaba riders appear, preponderance of opinions by residents of Kano still think they have brought more sorrows than happiness.
Reports from the city shows that most of the operators are reckless and don’t obey traffic rules. Some of them do so under the influence of drugs including marijuana and sniffing of rubber solution used by vulcanisers to patch tubes

Currently hospitals and healing homes in the state are replete with injured persons from accidents involving achaba. Many of them are lucky to be alive as such accidents have led to the death of thousands in the state.

A trip to Kwanar yan Daddawa, a settlement in the outskirts of Kano where renowned traditional orthopedics operate have tales of broken bones and death of victims of achaba accidents.

A bone setter in the settlement, Malam Usman Garba, revealed that most of the people he attends to on a daily basis are victims of achaba accidents.

“On a daily basis we normally receive up to ten cases of accidents Sometime we don’t even have where to keep them”, he stated.

In Kano acaba riders have a very formidable unity and in most cases rally round members in case of accidents even if their member is wrong. There have been situations where innocent motorists have been forced to pay for damages even when the achaba is at fault in accidents.
Environmental and health experts have equally raised concern over the smoke the motorcycles emit which is causing pollution that is dangerous to human beings and the environments.

However, with the involvement of some achaba riders in criminality coupled with the wave of attack by members of the dreaded Sect Boko Haram using motorbikes, it appears that the days of achaba in Kano metropolis are numbered.

Already, their movements have been restricted by the curfew six to six curfew imposed by the state government.

The story is the same in Benue state where okada is having iron grip on major cities including, Makurdi, the state capital. Apart from accidents resulting from reckless riding, there is an increase in the rate of crimes ranging from armed robbery to rape and ritual killings involving okada riders in the state.

At the Federal Medical Center, Makurdi as well as several bone setting homes in the state, many of the patients are victims of okada accident. Some of the patients who spoke to Peoples Daily Weekend at the Makurdi Medical Center thanked God that they were alive and blamed their ordeals on the recklessness of the okada riders.

Some of them recounted that the riders usually would not heed to instruction to be more careful on the road as they were usually high as a result of drugs and alcohol.
A patient Peter Agbo narrated how he fractured his leg in motorbike accident.
According to him, “I took okada to go to my house at Wadata and suddenly on the way, I heard a big bang and the bike went off the road and I hit my leg on an electric pole. I could not move anymore and had to be lifted up by passers-bye. Nothing happened to the okada man but for me I had to end up first in the hospital. I almost lost my leg in that accident caused by over speeding and negligence on the part of the okada rider”.

Another problem associated with okada in the state is the rising cases of murder, car and phone theft, cultism and rape traced to operators.

There have been reported cases of secret murders and rape by suspects said to be okada riders who take advantage of the late hours to commit these atrocious and abominable acts.
However, some okada operators accosted in Makurdi by Peoples Daily Weekend faulted the claims that all okada riders were reckless and do not obey traffic rules.

It was also been observed that some of them were either graduates or school drop outs who could not secure gainful employment and so decided to opt for the job to make a living.
Such would not want to be included as reckless and criminally minded persons.
One of the operators, Mr. Francis Okpe said, “I am a family man with children and dependants. I graduated from Benue State University but was unable to get a good job so I decided to take to okada riding to cater for my family and my aged parents”.
Okpe said since there were no functional industries and companies, it was better for him to do okada job instead of engaging in political thuggery and other crimes
“There are no companies or industries in this State that can engage us so rather than get involved in political thuggery or armed robbery, it is better to ride Okada and take care of my family”.

Another rider Gideon Akumba said he was a farmer but had to abandon the farm for Okada job due to lack of incentives like fertilizers and other farm chemicals from government.
“I enjoyed farming but there was no encouragement anywhere. I was not making profit so I decided to quit and resorted to Okada riding. Government should provide employment for the youths and support those who are artisans or farmers to develop”, Akumba advised.
Due to the problems there are moves by the state government to ban okada operation in the state. Already a gradual restriction of activities has started.

However, while some indigenes of the state supported the idea others argue that they are very important especially for those who could not afford taxis in the night.

In Kogi state, it is also a tale of tears, blood and death as okada tighten grip on major town including the state capital, Lokoja. Peoples Daily Weekend check reveals an influx of okada into the state capital following their sack in some major districts of neighbouring Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The increase has also rubbished the checks and regulations put in place by the state.

Like in other cities, okada operators are responsible for most accidents especially in Lokoja metropolis. Also in the state there have been cases of armed robbery and other violent crimes involving okada operators.

Currently, okada has led to the death of many innocent young men. One of such was a young man, Sheidu Shaibu a graduate of Kogi state University who took up okada operation following the inability to get a gainful employment. Sheidu died recently following injuries he sustained in an accident.

Lamenting, his mother, Madam Rekiyetu Shaibu of number 112, Ibaji quarters, Lokoja, blamed government for not providing employment to his son and his likes, a situation which has forced them to take up dangerous jobs like commercial motorcycle operation.
Another victim of okada accident, Mr. Ogboyi said he lost his son and wife to an okada accident which occurred in Okene, another town in Kogi where he was serving under the Okene district of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

He said his son was conveying his own mother from market when in an attempt to avoid a headlong collision with another okada, ran into a vehicle which crushed them instantly.
Police sources in the state confirmed that scores of innocent citizens are either killed or crippled on daily basis in okada accidents.

In its bid to minimise the accidents, the police in the state recently introduced some safety measures including compulsory registration of bikes and use of safety gears as well as stringent enforcement of traffic regulations.

The police had also tightened up security especially against criminals operating with bikes and reports have it that this has reduced spate of criminality involving okada operators.
In Plateau state, the government is already taking steps to ban commercial motorcycle business with the flagging off distribution of 500 tri-cycles, 100 mini cabs and 14 buses to ease transportation problem within Jos.

The story is the same in Lagos and other southern states such as Rivers, Anambra, Enugu, Owerri and Aba among others.

In Lagos, workers prefer the use of okada to get to their places of work early. It is also the major and more convenient means of transport in certain inner areas that are not accessible with buses and taxis.

Also okada has been made very popular because of the perennial traffic congestion in the city as the operators can meander through the traffic and get the passenger to his destination faster.

However, the state has had its own share of the hazards associated with okada ranging from horrible accidents to violent crimes especially armed robbery, ritual killings and kidnapping.
Reports show that the number of victims of okada accidents in Lagos is on geometric progression with hospital and orthopedic homes replete with victims.
Report presented by Lagos Governor Babatunde Fashola showed the state had about 1039 reported okada accidents between October and November 2011 with Ikeja, the state capital recording  total of 179 cases within the period.  The governor said about 346 robbers were arrested on okada.

Fashola noted that out of 2911 traffic violations between October and November in Lagos state, 1908 involved okada operators.

According to Fashola, who spoke while inaugurating a 32-man security committee to review the activities of commercial motorcycle operators in the state, “from our investigation in the last two months, what we see in terms of accidents, alone, from LASUTH to Ikeja, we had 179 cases of accidents, within October and November alone, out of that 179, 170 of the victims were passengers.

“At the Toll Gate Emergency centre, we had 41 accidents reported there on okada, all these reports are just for two months. In the combined reports from 20 government hospitals that we monitored over the last two months in October and November, we had 1039 accident cases of okada accidents. Now with regard to crime, between January and now 346 robbers were arrested on okada."

An investigation at the National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi shows that at the Intensive Care Unit, most of the patients who are on admission are victims of okada accidents. Officials at the hospital said an average of five to ten patients are brought in daily with injuries resulting from okada accidents.
The situation in Lagos is worsened by the traffic population and the refusal of the riders to adhere to restrictions. Riders in Lagos dare to ride on super highways even against traffic resulting in horrible accidents in the state.

Owing to the spate of criminality involving commercial cyclists, the state government, in its first reaction, banned okada from plying the Government House Road in Alausa. The riders, for about three or four months, complied with the directives, but after sometime, due to noticeable lapses in terms of enforcement on the part of the security agents, the order became ineffective.

The government’s restriction order was trailed by criticism as commuters opined that for such an order to be effective, the government has to provide alternatives.
A commercial motorcycle rider Akinwale Aderibigbe, who spoke with Peoples Daily Weekend, said though he is aware of the fact that the highway restriction is for his benefit, he cannot help but ply the route which he said yield more money due to the preponderance of passengers.

On the argument that people who ride okada are unemployed, Fashola said “but that is not acceptable, it’s not an excuse, there is no excuse for crime, any government that takes itself seriously must reduce crime to the barest minimum.”
Already the state has come out with laws to regulate activities of commercial motorcyclists in the state.

The regulation among others bar the carrying of loads, carrying of under aged passengers prohibition of sound systems, restriction of operation beyond 8.pm and 10.pm in designated areas. The law also bars the carrying of pregnant women, school age children, women with children on their backs and riding against traffic among others.
Some of those who patronise okada operators frowned at the ban insisting it would compound the plight of commuters in the nation's commercial capital.  Their complaint is hinged on the perennial traffic gridlock which makes commuting within the city very cumbersome.

Also some Okada operators who spoke with Peoples Daily Weekened, wondered why the government should ban their operations when it has done little or nothing to provide jobs for the multitude of Okada riders.

They also blamed the government for leaving the roads unattended to, a situation that has made most of them unmotorable, hence people prefer to use motor-bikes to wade through the pot-hole ridden roads.

In Abuja, the nation’s capital, though there are strict restrictions in the use of okada in the city center, the riders are having very strong grip of the satellite town swith stories of death, broken bones and criminality on their trails.

Okada accidents are everyday occurrences in the satellite towns. Recently, in Kubwa, Abuja’s foremost satellite town, a baby strapped on her mother’s back atop an okada fell off and was immediately crushed to death by a vehicle. Currently there appears to be no regulations on the use of okada in Abuja satellite towns even when some of them are as busy as some state capitals if not busier.

On the whole, the phenomenon of commercial motorcyclists has become a problem that require strategic solution principal among which is the revamping of the economy. Unless such is done, it will continue to be the same tale of death and anguish across the nation.


http://www.peoplesdaily-online.com/news/national-news/31427-messengers-of-death-okada-tightens-grip-on-cities

Day trader was killed in robbery-gone-wrong

Written by Ahmed Mohammed, Bauchi Saturday, 03 March 2012 05:00

Fear and confusion ensued following the murder of Ustaz Iliyasu Aliyu, a rising businessman on Saturday February 18, in his shop on Ahmadu Bello Way, Bauchi’s capital, by suspected armed robbers. On that fateful day at about 6pm, Ustaz, a father of four, was hale and hearty, selling in his shop located a few meters to the Zone 12 office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Bauchi. The trader was attending to customers when three armed men who came on a motorcycle, wearing masks stormed his shop, shooting up sporadically to scare people away. Afterwards, they shot him at a close range and left at full speed without anyone knowing which direction they took.

Neighbors, relatives and customers of the late Iliya Ustaz told Weekly Trust separately that when the gunmen scared people and chased everybody away, two of them entered the ever-busy shop, one of the men stood outside and kept vigil while the other two entered and asked Ustaz to surrender all the money with him which he willingly did. The heavily armed men also ordered Ustaz and his attendants to lie flat on their stomach, after which they broke bottles of drinks kept outside the shop and threatened to kill anyone who did not cooperate.

The witnesses said after carting the sales money Ustaz had made since morning, the robbers also stole a bundle of recharge cards containing different networks which he was said to have bought that morning. According to the eyewitness, the men of the underworld had finished robbing Ustaz and had turned to leave, climbed their motorcycle parked opposite the shop when someone shouted “thieves”, “thieves”, an action that infuriated the robbers. They reportedly made a swift U-turn, pulled out an AK47, shot Ustaz at close range on the chest once and resorted to firing shots in the air before making their brisk escape on their motorcycle. The trader died instantly.

Policemen from the Bauchi State Police Command headquarters on Yandoka road took his corpse to a hospital where he was certified dead. Ustaz who was about 37 years old has been buried according to Islamic rites.

The public relations officer of the Bauchi state police command, Mohammed Barau, described the attackers as one done by armed robbers, adding that the police is investigating the matter expressing hope that the suspects would be apprehended.

Ibrahim Ali, younger brother to the deceased said almost three weeks after his brother’s death, details adding that the police told the family that they are still investigating. Usman Kabir, one of his customers described the late trader as a very hardworking and dedicated businessman who does not compromise on customers’ needs.

Evelyn Orji who works at a café not far from Ustaz’s shop, said she heard gunshots and thought it was members of the Boko Haram who had struck. “Everyone was afraid to come out. We heard more gunshots later we heard that it was Ustaz that was killed in front of his shop. It is really a sad thing. I am really feeling bad because Ustaz was a very good man and there is virtually no daily needs that you will look for that you will not find in his shop.”

This was the third time between December 2010 and February 2011 that gunmen on a motorbike robbed residents of Bauchi State in their shops, the first incident took place at Railway, the second on Jahun Road near old Musaba junction where they killed two people. The late Iliya Ustaz is the third and latest victim of such attacks.

http://weeklytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8641:day-trader-was-killed-in-robbery-gone-wrong-&catid=41:news&Itemid=30