Lagos State Government promises Banned Commercial Motorcylists New Jobs

In the wake of the recent ban on commercial motorcycle (Okada) riders from major roads in Lagos state, many of them have been thrown out of jobs. They have had to abandon the business, as the new traffic law prohibits them from plying major roads and bridges in the state.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, however said yesterday that the Lagos State Government is working on a number of options to engage genuine commercial motorcycle operators, recently thrown out of jobs as a result of the implementation of the new traffic law, in meaningful ventures.

Punch reports that at the 11th Business Forum of the Lagos State University’s MBA Heritage held on Lagos Island on Wednesday, Mr. Opeifa said the state government would re-register the operators and provide the genuine ones adversely affected by the policy with other job opportunities.

“We are resolute about the Road Traffic Law; there is no going back on it. But we are going to re-certify the okada operators resident in Lagos.

“We are going to start a registration process, and in the process, if we discover those who have skills, we will send them to the skill acquisition centres established by the state government to hone these skills.

“Some of them could be absorbed into the LAGBUS as conductors and drivers. We also have agriculture, where some of them can also be useful. Apart from our farms in Lagos, we have bought landed property in Ogun State and Abuja, and we are going to buy more in Benue for agriculture. So, the options are there for them.”

The Lagos state government has continued to emphasize that there would be no going back on the ban of Okada riders on major roads in the state. It is therefore now pertinent for them to seek alternative sources of income. However, do you think the offer made by the state government in areas of skill acquisition, agriculture, bus driving and so on are realistic?

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