Okada Ban: The Disadvantaged Are The Riders and Commuters in the Lagos Metropolis.

 The Lagos state government recently banned the use of motorbikes in some designated areas of the state. Many people are already feeling the effects of the ban as a result of this development. In fact, there seem to be both negative and positive consequences of the ban. However, the negative consequences of this ban are the focal point of this article.

The first consequence is from the socio-economic angle. It is no secret that the majority of the riders were self-employed, but with the ban, they had to face the harsh realities of unemployment. Imagine a situation where the number of motorbikes outnumbered the number of cars in the Lagos metropolis-this is a huge employer of labour. As simple as it might look, this issue of unemployment means the riders are denied their ability to pay school fees for their children; pay medical bills; pay rent for their living apartments as well as deny themselves the privilege of putting food on the table for their beloved family members. Although there seems to be some form of calmness from the riders, unemployment can lead some riders into unnecessary violent acts. For example, some of them may resort to stealing, kidnapping, hooliganism, and even murdering innocent citizens to exact revenge on policymakers.

The next consequence is from the capital investment angle. Without a doubt, most motorbike riders have spent their life savings to acquire these bikes. The bikes are assets to the riders. The bikes will deteriorate if they are not used, and if they are not used and are not maintained, they will lose their resale value. We must not forget that some of these riders are older men who can no longer look for viable jobs, that was why they thought of buying the bikes to make ends meet. Because the general economic situation in most sectors of our economy is moribund, some riders are graduates who were rejected and neglected by the system, their only option was to buy these motorcycles through hire-purchase or outright loans. All their savings for investment purposes are now gone with the wind.

The last consequence is from the environmental angle. Before now, motorbike riders had become experts at getting their clients to various destinations with less effort. Commuters know that the speed of getting to their destination comes with added cost, but clients are less perturbed by any form of cost implication so long as good service is rendered. Most motorbike customers have to attend job interviews, scheduled appointments, contract negotiations, and other types of meetings that we cannot discuss here, and these motorbike riders have done an excellent job of meeting commuter transportation needs. To be frank, it is the clients, not the "Okada Riders" that are most hit with the "Okada" ban. While riding a motorcycle as a commuter, traffic congestion has never been an issue. Even motorists have a way of paving the way, or should I say creating pathways, for motorcycles to pass through any type of traffic congestion. Furthermore, many people have been forced to patronize bike riders as a result of road construction and reconstruction work on most Lagos roads, as the current traffic congestion is more than frustrating.

Right now, the impact of the ban on "Okada riders" is telling on those who depend on motorbike riders to meet their daily transportation needs. This ban policy needs revisiting. Although there are many risks associated with riding a boarding bike, the cost of the ban far outweighs the benefit.