Thoughts are powerful: The Ban on Okadas: IDIOTIC or NEGLIGENT

The new Lagos State traffic rules has citizens and netizens on both sides of the divide with respect to OKADAS. There are those that believe that for Lagos state to be the super city that our Governor is fighting for, this Ban is a step in the right direction. I do NOT agree. That has to be the most stupid thing I have heard/read. Read on to find out why.

I should start out by saying I fall in the average class and I use Okadas mostly to get around the metropolis that is Lagos. Also, you might get the notion that this reeks of bias. IT DOES but not for the reason you think (that as a fervent okada commuter of course I will side with them). I am biased because this law affects a whole class of people and then more. This law basically screws us over.

The Problems VS The Logical Solutions

I will be the first to put my hands up and say that the Okada riders are a menace on our roads. Anyone remember when Bus (Danfo) drivers were the exact same thing because I do and for some reason they are still on our roads. Do we know why, because I do. LASTMA. While the bus drivers can still be a nuisance we all can admit that LASTMA has put fear in them. Why can't the State have LASTMA type enforcers for the Okadas as well? I reckon it can be a source of revenue for the state. Plus I can't be the only one that has noticed how much better maintained Okadas are compared to Danfos.

They say Okadas are the preferred mode of transport for Armed Robbers (http://ipad.ynaija.com/ynaija/#!/entry/givethedogabadname-month-98-of-robberies-are-by-okada-police,508a5ffe94f4be7169287679). I sympathize with those that have fallen victim to such but is a ban on Okadas the solution? Are our legislators and Governor that delusional that they think the ban on Okadas will reduce robbery? From where I am typing that is just so flawed. Why? Well for one the ban is on Okadas not all Bikes. So basically all the robbers have to do is buy a bike after which they ride to their hideout which is not that much of a chore seeing as there are many back roads as opposed to the 500-ish roads that they can't ride on. My solution to curb this problem is simply to have all Okada riders register for a license to ply in the City (Another revenue stream). What this does is provide the State with Bike registration details and who the Bikes belong to. In the advent of robbery, all we have to do is get the License plate numbers.

I read that our Governor says that he is outlawing Okadas because of the people in the hospitals. Seriously? Is it just me or this just reeks of desperation? Where are the numbers of those that have died in car accidents, where are the numbers of those that have been hospitalized as a result of car accidents? I am not trying to trivialize the victims of said Okada accident but to use them as an EXCUSE to ban Okadas is very somehow. Please, how many people do you know that was involved in an Okada accident? How many of them stopped taking Okadas afterwards? For me the answer is None but then again, that is just a tiny proportion of accidents. The same way the Okadas involved in robberies is but a tiny fraction of honest to God okada riders.

Another school of thought say that the ban on Okadas is necessary in the transformation of Lagos State into a Mega City. They even went as far as itemizing the top cities in the world and had the temerity to ask which of them had commercial Bikes. . . . How to put this delicately without calling them what they really are; FOOLS. It just goes to show how retarded we are. We take an item out of context and twist it to make a point. FOOLISHITTY (I made up a word cause no existing words aptly describes my disgust). Have those people thought of why there are so many OKADAS in Lagos? How could they, their limited brains will not allow them? There are so many because there is a huge demand for an alternate means of transportation. All those Mega Cities have them don't they? I hope your stupidity is embarrassing you now. In Lagos majority of us commute via road and the roads aren't nearly enough, the Buses as much as they are not nearly enough, the roads are in a bad scratch that terrible shape.

What are the other arguments for the ban again? I can't seem to remember them again. My main gripe is with stripping thousands of Okada riders a livelihood and the stupid comments. Someone actually said crime rates will not go up. Based on what evidence did he arrive at that conclusion? Are the Okada riders just going to miraculously find employment? Mayhaps, they know something I don't. Another said we Nigerians are selfish and unwilling to make sacrifices. Are you taking a piss? What sacrifices haven't we made? Does the idiot not know that we pay more for Okada fares? It is a different thing if there was some alternative means of transportation to look forward to. As far as I can tell, we are all meant to just get used to busing. Has anyone noticed the amount of people waiting for buses now? Has anyone noticed that people are walking because there aren't enough buses? Do you see the problem here? With the Bikes on the road, there was traffic, without them it is even more. There will more cars on the road as a result. Una never even see traffic yet.

The fact that I have to type this "tirade" shows how detached our lawmakers really are, they are obviously delusional if they think this Ban is for the masses. The masses that voted for you all.

You can sense I am angry right? That is because I am. Governor Fashola, the middle class and below are getting the shaft, we have been royally screwed over with this Draconian legislature. I think this is an elitist law. There is a word making round that Fashola bought helmets as a campaign thing. So, he was ok with them before. Wonder what happened.

In summary, the solution of this B-Tech holder is to have all current and prospective Okada riders register to ply on Lagos roads. To have enforcement agency similar to LASTMA to curb their excesses.