Fashola Arrests 5 For Driving Against Traffic

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State personally led a team of officials to arrest five commercial motorcyclists (Okada) and commuter bus drivers found driving against  the traffic in Apapa area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, yesterday.

The motorcyclists who were apprehended for driving against traffic on the Apapa Bridge included one Haruna Umaru who drove a motorcycle with registration number FS 820 LG and Idris Isa who was caught driving against the traffic from Ijora on his way to Apapa.

Others who fell into the dragnet were Sani Buba with motorcycle registration number Z 315 LSD who claimed to be the Vice Chairman of Motorcycle Operators Association of Lagos State, Victoria Island chapter.

Also apprehended on the Apapa bridge for riding against the traffic was Aminu Oshe with  motorcycle registration number QL 15 APP and Mr. Egiamalo Amos, a store assistant in the Ajah plant of P.W. Nigeria Limited who was arrested for driving his vehicle with registration number QS 130 EPE against the traffic.

Fashola and his team made the arrests while going to commission a 60-flat housing estate built by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) at Apapa. The governor pointed out that the difficulties encountered by residents of Apapa were being exacerbated by Okada riders, trailers and tankers.

The governor who hinted that a policy was in the offing to address and deal decisively with the problem added: “what we see and experience clearly is a failure of agencies of the Federal Government to do their work and they manage the port at the expense of the lives of the residents.

“Just recently, it was announced that N188 billion was generated from this port; but the question is, how much of it was spent in Lagos? How much of it was spent or committed to building rail that will evacuate cargo from the port?”

He however advised residents: “As I have said to all those who care to listen, if Okada is a problem to you, stop using it; because it is a business and if you don’t patronise it, it will leave you alone.”

— Kazeem Ugbodaga