Okada Ban Reduced Accidents, Deaths In Anambra – Commissioner

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

Anambra State Commissioner for Youth Empowerment and Creative Economy Hon. Bonaventure Enemali has observed that the ban on commercial motorcycle operation in some parts of the state has reduced accidents and deaths on the roads.

He made the observation at the weekend in Awka while speaking on the impact of government marching order on Okada operators in Awka and Onitsha respectively.

Enemali explained that the impact of the ban on commercial motorcycle operators was positive considering the fact that Okada riding was a sort of business for them but emphasized that what the state government did was to scale it up for them such that they moved on from merely riding Okada to becoming vehicle owners.

According to him, some of the Okada riders didn’t receive any formal training on cycling prior to their operations which he said was responsible for numerous accidents and deaths caused by Okada riders operating in the state.

The commissioner further explained that the ban was a sort of business expansion stressing that one of the conditions of owning the shuttle buses that government would provide was that they must be certified drivers before government could allocate the vehicles. He pointed out that it was an initiative in the positive sense as more youths would henceforth be more business-minded and not killers in the form of Okada riders.

Enemali maintained that he was in support of  the move describing the ban as a business migration from what was not ideal to what is ideal and generally acceptable by the citizenry.