The ban of Okada recently announced by Lagos State Government is not new. The Policy has been in place since 2012. The Sanwoolu Govenment has just effected it, where no one dared.
On Thursday March 2012 about eight( years ago Governor Fashola announced a total ban of Okada from all major bridges and the whole of Ikeja. This ban was instigated by the Nigeria Police who had been hapless from the incessant rise in crime. 3 months later it was extended to parts of Surulere and the Island. Specifically the Business district, parts of Victoria Island and Falomo, Ikoyi.
For the other areas government decided to regulate Okada riders and came about, a licensing scheme which stipulated that Okada riders need to learn how to ride bikes and must obtain a riders licence (As is applicable in most countries). This they did in partnership with the FRSC. This scheme was ignored totally. As a matter of fact the two main Okada unions took the government to court.
The FRSC ended up confiscating over 15,000 bikes for non-compliance. Still, riders were going about undocumented. At that time there were just about 50,000 Okada’s in Lagos. The government also introduced the use of crash helmets due to incessant casualties from accidents. This too was largely ignored.
Today, there are over 250,000 Okada’s with 78% being indigenes of Chad, Niger and Mali. The significant rise was within the last 18 months. The most significant that jolted the Lagos State Government was the recent influx of over 40,000 Nigeriens and Malians under the guise of looking for a means of sustenance as Okada riders.
They were all undocumented, with no form of identification whatsoever. The Lagos State Government quickly set up a committee to look into this. Early January, In trying to enforce registration in Apapa, Iganmu Orile, where you have the largest concentration of Okada riders from Niger and Mali, government ended up seizing about 150 Okadas, whose owners did not have a riders permit.
Within a few hours Irate Hausa/Fulani Youths invaded Apapa- Iganmu LCDA headquarters at Marine Beach, chased all the workers away and set the office complex ablaze and also vandalised vehicles within the vicinity causing millions of Naira in damage. No serious government would watch and not take action, most especially with the insurgency in the North East.
What I also want you to note here is that, there is a total ban on Okada in Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger State for security reasons.
I could write a whole epistle on the security threats of Okada. Sanwo-olu’s government didn’t just wake up and effect the ban! It was as a result of a report presented by the Lagos State Security Council and they sought advise from the OPS as well.
The Corporate Okada companies were given ample time to implement government policy on the management of their riders but they simply just took government for granted. Thinking government would not be that audacious with an outright ban. With the millions of dollars raised at start-up, all the corporate Okada companies were interested in, was the revenue. The 3k daily they were charging riders.
The companies became reckless after Lagos State introduced N25M as annual licensing fees for 1000 riders and then N30,000 per bike thereafter. Which means the companies would paying N295M if they had 10,000 Okada riders including tax and vat on revenue generated. Meanwhile the companies were earning over N1m per rider annually. They became very greedy and complacent and ceased to keep any verifiable database of the their riders with the required background checks. (This was largely done, to avoid charges). Gokada’s Bangladeshi owner’s main concern was how to roll out gokada in the thousands rather than making sure there was value added and compliance. So most of this companies have themselves to blame. The Corporate Okadas market share in Lagos is less than 5%. TBC.
Lolu Akinwumi

I hate APC and their members including with passion.
But if Mr Sanwo Eko sustain the ban of okada and tricycle in Lagos. I'll give kudos to Sanwo eko as one of the best governor in Southwest.

We know the problems they bring... Yeah if you go to teaching physio department, 70% of broken legs, arms is as result of bikes, most time reckless drivers. Eradicate is a good idea.... But it is a process in Capital world of poverty of Nigeria how to contain the eradication because these involve beings who have families to feed, there should be always a contingency plans before any good government implement a Stan. You can get high definition movies and series into external drive and pc including Doctor Sleep, Power (up to S6E14), Supernatural(up to S15E11) (zero,eight,one,four,four,two,three,eight,three,two,seven)

Lagos state govt should maintain d banned...