Roads seen fine enough.

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.[/b]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,

Incidentally, that was my first Cousin [b]Tony Otu Bebia .  

His skull was  terribly crushed. He was on His way to School to take an exams.

I saw quite a few Okada deaths in Nigeria myself and have heard of close people who got taken out by Okada. I understand the sentiments of those asking for Okada to stay but when you consider the flipside of keeping them, their wrecklessness (especially those Niger or Hausa fellows), people getting maimed, Kidnapped killed, and getting robbed, raped etc. while riding Okada, arrhhhhh,  please let's keep the ban in the City and restrict them to rural areas however with some workable controls or regulations.

Okada has been banned in Aba,Abuja Owerri,Umuahia, I think Enugu and several other towns and cities and people are surviving just fine.
Kudos to Cross Rivers state.
Those things are a menace,a traffic nightmare and have caused several amputations and  disfigurements,not to talk of the robberies and killings perpetrated by okada riders.
The crime rate in these towns have drastically reduced after the ban.
They should be banned in the whole of Nigeria.

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.
[b]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.[/b]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.

You are spot on, early this Year when I visited, I saw the same situation, Women with kids on their backs and the guy riding on the Express!!! , plus I saw some kindergarten kids on bikes unattended by any adult and was told by a friend that most families just hand their kids to a familiar Okada man and request them to drop them off at school. These are 5, 6 yr olds for Christ sake!!

oyb:

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

You are repeating the same thing. EXCUSE, EXCUSE, EXCUSE.
It is not a good enough reason for OKADA's to remain.
How many times a day do you get such calls. If there are no OKADA's, people will adjust to the situation. (including your freaking BOSS)
We didn't have that many okada's over a decade ago when lagos still had traffic, ----People survived back then and didn't loose their jobs. Look for another excuse please

More Calabar pictures please.

i wish they can ban okada in lagos.

There is a sane government in cross river state. In abia state, the announcement was made on a friday night to be enforced from the following monday morning. As crazy as the the people are, they started arresting and extorting okada riders on saturday of the same weekend.
My people what do you call this kind of government?

phuck_NL:

You are repeating the same thing. EXCUSE, EXCUSE, EXCUSE.
It is not a good enough reason for OKADA's to remain.
How many times a day do you get such calls. If there are no OKADA's, people will adjust to the situation. (including your freaking BOSS)
We didn't have that many okada's over a decade ago when lagos still had traffic, ----People survived back then and didn't loose their jobs. Look for another excuse please

don't worry
na NL we dey

will see u 5 years from now if u decide to come back home - real life will change some of your perceptions

I remember some couple of years back most of these Governors were buying and donating bikes to these people (bikemen) as a means of providing employment to these people, and now taking back the spoon they're using to feed. damn! thats not fair. una no (ice at all

VALENCI:

There is a sane government in cross river state. In abia state, the announcement was made on a friday night to be enforced from the following monday morning. As crazy as the the people are, they started arresting and extorting okada riders on saturday of the same weekend.
My people what do you call this kind of government?

Demonstration of Inefficiency and ineptitude on the part of Policy makers.

VALENCI:

There is a sane government in cross river state. In abia state, the announcement was made on a friday night to be enforced from the following monday morning. As crazy as the the people are, they started arresting and extorting okada riders on saturday of the same weekend.
My people what do you call this kind of government?

Demonstration of Inefficiency and ineptitude on the part of Policy makers.

If people could actually comprehend the dangers associated with Nigeria's okada culture, then they might see thigns differently. Anybody in Nigeria should go to their nearby hospital and get enlightmened. The number of injuries resulting from such wreckless culture which affects not just okada passengers but every other road user, is unecessary. A lot of people have lost their limbs because of such rubbish.

Sky Blue:

If people could actually comprehend the dangers associated with Nigeria's okada culture, then they might see thigns differently. Anybody in Nigeria should go to their nearby hospital and get enlightmened. The number of injuries resulting from such wreckless culture which affects not just okada passengers but every other road user, is unecessary. A lot of people have lost their limbs because of such rubbish.

You are very correct. No right thinking person will encourage Okada ridng. Infact, if you go to University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, there is a particular ward called "Sanyang Ward'. The name is gotten from a name of a particular brand of motorbike. The ward is for all Okada accident victims.

My only problem is that, do we have to correct a problem by creating another one?

Exactly! And the other problem being created has a social undertone which is a whole lot more detrimental to the social framework of the state

I think same should be done in Kano State.

Oboma1:


You are very correct. No right thinking person will encourage Okada ridng. Infact, if you go to University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, there is a particular ward called "Sanyang Ward'. The name is gotten from a name of a particular brand of motorbike. The ward is for all Okada accident victims.

That same thing repeats in all major hospitals in Nigeria
Okada has caused untold havoc in Nigeria and ought to banned outrightly.

Another 120,000 jobless people to hit the street of C-River soon.

Fhemmmy:

Another 120,000 jobless people to hit the street of C-River soon.

looking for somebody to kidnap

250 taxis to replace 120,000 commercial cyclists. Makes economic sense. So by 15th November, the unemployed figure in cross river will increase by 119,750.

OAM4J:

250 taxis to replace 120,000 commercial cyclists. Makes economic sense. So by 15th November, the unemployed figure in cross river will increase by 119,750.

and rate of accidents,deaths and amputations will be slashed by 2/3rds

OAM4J:

250 taxis to replace 120,000 commercial cyclists. Makes economic sense. So by 15th November, the unemployed figure in cross river will increase by 119,750.

0sisi:

and rate of accidents,deaths and amputations will be slashed by 2/3rds

It is still the same thing. Stop amputation, and increase the number of miscreants and armed-robbers. Solving one and increasing the other.

I agree these commercial cyclists can be nuisance sometimes. But come to think of it, like someone said, they are necessary evil. How many people here can truly say they have not used okada before?

We have had many plane crashes, but it has not stopped us from flying on planes, we have had many road accidents, we still drive on those roads. The solution is not to ban (that is a cheap solution), but to improve them, put measures in place to reduce those accidents.

Those jobless commercial cyclists are potential armed robbers, kidnappers, etc. An idle hand they say is the devil’s tool.

OAM4J:

I agree these commercial cyclists can be nuisance sometimes. But come to think of it, like someone said, they are necessary evil. How many people here can truly say they have not used okada before?

We have had many plane crashes, but it has not stopped us from flying on planes, we have had many road accidents, we still drive on those roads. The solution is not to ban (that is a cheap solution), but to improve them, put measures in place to reduce those accidents.

Those jobless commercial cyclists are potential armed robbers, kidnappers, etc. An idle hand they say is the devil’s tool.

I will like to concur here. Stopping these riders is making it look as cheap solution. If there is need to stop these people, why not have more than enough solution on ground, and making sure that, it will be beneficial to both. Also, it deosnt mean that, they cannot ride their bikes of the major roads, if some so wishes. Providing 250 cabs to 100,000 people shows how unserious Nigerian leaders can be. Besides, the cost of these cabs, will soon send many to join miscreants and arm-robbers faster.

only people who have not seen the dead and injured who troop into ''okada wards'' in the hospitals will complain about the ban on okada. as an ex-malabite, i knew first hand, the famous ''sanyang ward'' in UCTH, I also saw the carnage in FMC owerri emergency ward. if u ask me, Okada should have been banned 30yrs ago

and forget the statistics u got. Calabar as a whole cannot have more than 400,000 people in it. it is a small town and i can debate that there are only about I20,000 people in calabar, hence the okada riders in that city cannot be more than I2,000.

with the new taxis, there are new jobs for the Okada guys to fit into. more over they can still ride their okada in the rural areas near calabar. this a a great public health measure that will reduce accidents/deaths/health care burden/ and hence improve the economy of cross-river state without increasing taxes. and it will cut the deficit too.
now i'm sounding like american politicians

How Cross River, Akwa Ibom Are Re-branding Nigeria





• [b]Liyel Imoke, Cross River governor and  • Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom governor

If you do an internet search of the phrase “child witch,” Nigeria will pop up in droves. In addition to other negative attributes, like drug trafficking and fraud, that foreigners have attached to Nigeria, witch-hunting in its original form seems to be sticking on us courtesy of Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State, two states that used to be one until September 23, 1987. One wonders if the fraud and drug trafficking tags are not heavy enough for us to be seen as witch hunters all over the world.
In the foreign media, there are gory stories and pictures of children, including toddlers, who have been bathed with acid and hot water. Some have six-inch nails driven into their heads. Some were burnt to death or even buried alive. The luckier thousands are whipped and driven away to roam the streets. These children are labelled witches and wizards by so-called pastors, prophets and bishops. Reports have it that there are more churches in Nigeria than schools and hospitals combined. Given the severe competition among these churches to win members that will guarantee the survival and wellbeing of these churches, many of their operators become desperate and devise many illicit means to survive. [/b] All over the country, pastors label children and adults witches and wizards, but it seems this problem has taken a dangerous dimension in Cross River and Akwa Ibom.  Children are tagged witches and wizards that have caused their parents and siblings such misfortunes as deaths, miscarriages, loss of jobs, financial straits, lack of marriage, lack of success in life, drug abuse, sexual escapades, drunkenness, etc. These unfortunate children are subsequently tortured until they “confess” and then disfigured, driven away or even killed.
It is inexplicable that an area which had contact with Western education and Christianity decades before most other Nigerians did so could allow itself to be deceived by desperate con men and evil merchants who call themselves “pastors” and “prophets.”  Let us assume, for the purposes of argument, that a child is discovered to be possessed by evil spirits, what would Jesus Christ or his apostles do to the child? Jesus Christ or Peter or Paul would immediately cast the evil spirits out and set the child free. That was what Jesus did to Mary Magdalene, and she became one of his most dedicated followers, even having the honour of being the first human being to see the risen Christ. If Christians don’t use the Bible as their standard and reference point, I wonder how they can be called Christians. These fake men of God have no iota of spiritual power and cannot cast out any evil spirits, so they resort to casting children away. It is surprising that such fake pastors and prophets are not exposed and punished for not only exploiting the public but also endangering the lives of children.
This is a national embarrassment. When foreigners talk about it, they do not even mention Cross River and Akwa Ibom; rather they mention Nigeria. We now have the image of “child killers” in the world. This must be curbed forthwith to avoid more damage.
I call on the governments of the two states to pass a law that makes it an act of murder (or attempted murder) for any pastor, prophet, evangelist, fortune teller, seer, diviner, parent, guardian or anybody, for that matter, to call any child or person a witch or wizard or act in any way to suggest that any child or person is a witch or wizard. The penalty for such should not be less than life imprisonment. And the parents and guardians of children who are currently homeless or living in children’s homes as a result of this inhuman labeling should be traced and arrested for prosecution immediately, unless they pledge in writing, supported by reputable guarantors, to keep the children under their roof and cater for them without any discrimination whatsoever.
It is bad enough that many religious groups are exploiting the faith of worshippers to fleece them, but molesting children in this horrendous way is a heinous crime that should be frowned at and attacked frontally. There should also be a strong campaign to the locals to make them believe less that their ill fortunes are caused by external forces. It may be difficult, but it is achievable.
From North to South and from East to West, the problem of this nation is not caused by witches and wizards but by terrible leadership and stealing of our national wealth.  And the more our religious leaders like the great prophets of old condemn rather than condone our corrupt leaders, the more they call our leaders to order rather than give them front-row seats and pray for them, the more our country will be freed from maladministration and embezzlement and the consequent poverty, ignorance and under-development that hold our people down. Just like kidnapping that has made foreigners afraid to come to Nigeria and fellow Nigerians exiles in their own country, this witch crisis is another sore point to our image as a nation. And it needs to be tackled frontally with every weapon in our arsenal. This is not the time for sons and daughters of the two states to defend their states by telling other Nigerians to mind their business, or for non-indigenes of the two states to pretend like the ostrich that what happens in Cross River or Akwa Ibom does not concern then. Our people say that when one finger touches palm oil, it soon soils all the other fingers.[b][/b]
http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=2568

OAM4J:

I agree these commercial cyclists can be nuisance sometimes. But come to think of it, like someone said, they are necessary evil. How many people here can truly say they have not used okada before?

We have had many plane crashes, but it has not stopped us from flying on planes, we have had many road accidents, we still drive on those roads. The solution is not to ban (that is a cheap solution), but to improve them, put measures in place to reduce those accidents.

Those jobless commercial cyclists are potential armed robbers, kidnappers, etc. An idle hand they say is the devil’s tool.

Bad analogy. How many llives lost or injuries sustained have resulted from flying? Try to equate that to the havoc okadas cause. Don't get me wrong, okada exists because there is an unfilled void in the transport sector, simple as that. Let us just avoid getting sentimental about such and defending what is indeed a road hazard. Have you seen okada riders operate? I mean, really? What sane person would justify such a culture?

No one will support sustainance of Okada riding, but there should atleast be a remedy before embarking on it. If you see the famous "Sanyang Ward" at UCTH Calabar, water will come out of ones eyes. I dont wish my enemy to go there. It is not a good place.

toshmann:

only people who have not seen the dead and injured who troop into ''okada wards'' in the hospitals will complain about the ban on okada. as an ex-malabite, i knew first hand, the famous ''sanyang ward'' in UCTH, I also saw the carnage in FMC owerri emergency ward. if u ask me, Okada should have been banned 30yrs ago

and forget the statistics u got. Calabar as a whole cannot have more than 400,000 people in it. it is a small town and i can debate that there are only about I20,000 people in calabar, hence the okada riders in that city cannot be more than I2,000.

with the new taxis, there are new jobs for the Okada guys to fit into. more over they can still ride their okada in the rural areas near calabar. this a a great public health measure that will reduce accidents/deaths/health care burden/ and hence improve the economy of cross-river state without increasing taxes. and it will cut the deficit too.
now i'm sounding like american politicians

And Calabar folks have been riding Okada from time immemorial
akauke as they call it
They should also ban dog eating in Calabar while they are in this banning mode

0sisi:

And Calabar folks have been riding Okada from time immemorial
akauke as they call it
They should also ban dog eating in Calabar while they are in this banning mode

?? Because dog eating harms who?

0sisi:

And Calabar folks have been riding Okada from time immemorial
akauke as they call it
They should also ban dog eating in Calabar while they are in this banning mode

osisi my sister . . . longeeeest time

akauke is not calabar o, it is akwa ibom. in calabar the efiks call it alo-alo

dog eating on the contrary has not elevated itself to a public health problem. the people enjoy it, it is affordable and available. they also use it to eat plantain peppersoup with dogmeat

even justices/governors/congressmen/malabites etc all eat dogmeat. i couldnt eat it then but i know some of my friends did, including babes who I end up kissing . . .hush, i'm married