26th July, 2010
Pupils and students in Lagos State primary and secondary schools have called on the state government to implement stricter enforcement on commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada in the State.
The pupils made this known at the Combo Hall of Lagos Television, Ikeja, Lagos, South West Nigeria, during the grand finale of the Lagos State School Traffic Safety Advocacy Programme competition designed to imbibe traffic safety education into school age children.
The students, in their presentation, described the commercial motorcyclists as a menace which needed to be checkmated in order to ensure sanity on the roads.
They lamented the untimely death of innocent citizens who could contribute meaningfully to the development of the state.
However, the competition, which was in three categories, saw Sanusi Olalekan of Afariogun Primary School, Oshodi, emerging winner, while Busari Adams of Lagos State Model Nursery and Primary School, came second in the Primary category.
Ayeyemi Hezekiah of Government Junior College, Victoria Island, came first and Effiong Elizabeth of Isolo Comprehensive Junior High School was second in the Junior Secondary category.
Chimezie Jennifer and Anifowoshe Maria emerged first and second respectively in the Senior Secondary category.
The first position winners were all presented with N250,000 by Fidelity Bank, while those in second position got N200,000 each. All the six winners will also visit the United Kingdom later in the year.
In her keynote address, the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Omolara Erogbogbo, described this year’s competition as unique and one that tends to expose and gear students’ interest in the area of transportation and unwittingly introduce them to photography profession and its management as a career.
She reiterated that government would continue to encourage continual driver education, intensive enforcement of regulations, regular road repairs and upgrade the existing ones.
Speaking at the event, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, commended the Ministry of Education for the provision of qualitative and sound education as demonstrated by the performances of the school children since the beginning of the competition.
The initiator of the programme, Dr. Temitope Masha, expressed her appreciation on its success aimed at catching them young and solicited for more support from corporate organisations.