Amid protests over the state government’s ban on commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada and tricycles in some parts of the state, Lagos State
Amid protests over the state government’s ban on commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada and tricycles in some parts of the state, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu insists that the government will not reverse its decision on their ban for safety reasons.
The governor stated this at the launch of LAGFERRY operations, a mobile app and commissioning of 14 commercial boats at Badore Ferry Terminal, in Ajah area of the state. The governor assured that before the end of the year the ferry boats would be increased to 30 adding that more than 500 buses would be injected into the state bus transport system to ease transportation problems.
Sanwo-Olu said the launch is in fulfilment of his administration’s promise to provide effective and integrated inter modal transportation system. Harping on ban on Okada and tricycle, he explained that as a responsible government, his administration will not fold its arms and allow security breach in the state.
“Let me tell you about the ban which we just enforced. We will sustain the ban on okadas and tricycles, mainly because of security and safety reasons. Security and safety of citizens is paramount to any government. As a responsible government, we will not fold our arms and allow any security breach in the state.
“We will continue to ensure the safety of our people on all fronts. There have been reports of serious security breaches and safety concerns in areas where these operators ply. We had to respond to these concerns because life and safety matters to this government.”
The governor pointed out that water transportation is one of the intermodal transportation tripods the state government is committed to developing as a strategy to reduce congestion on its roads which accounts for over 90 per cent of commuting in the state. He said for Lagos to be a functional smart city desired by all, there must be diversification of the mode of transportation, “there must be interconnectivity of the rail, road and water transportation systems.
