‘Okada Riders Are Not Criminals’

Mr. Tijani Perkins, the Chairman of the Motorcycle Operators Association of Lagos State, on Sunday expressed concern over the labeling of commercial motorcyclists (okada riders) as criminals.

Perkins told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the public now looked down on commercial motorcyclists because they were regarded as criminals.

“Okada riders are responsible men,” Perkins said, adding that some of them were graduates who were forced into the business because of lack of employment.

“Some of the riders have held key positions in some offices but were affected by retrenchment,” he added.

Perkins explained that the association was an affiliate of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and that its members were guided by some codes of conduct.

He said that although there were bad eggs among them, many commercial motorcyclists were law-abiding.

The chairman urged Lagos residents and security agencies to ensure that any okada rider that committed any crime was punished accordingly and not to label all commercial motorcyclists as criminals.

He urged members of the association to always wear their identification tag, saying that some evil-minded citizens riding motorcycles could commit crime and be mistaken for its members.

He, however, urged okada riders to remain law-abiding and to always be on the alert.

NAN recalls that on August 12 the police in Lagos said in a statement that they arrested 320 motorcyclists and impounded 259 motorcycles within two days, over alleged crimes and traffic offences.

The statement said that some of the arrests were due to failure of the motorcyclists to adhere to the 8 p.m. closing time as directed by the Lagos State Government.

The government has ordered commercial motorcyclists in Ikeja, Victoria Island and Ikoyi not to operate beyond 8 p.m., while those in other parts of that state are to close by 10 p.m.