■ It’s our only source of survival –Fleeing Boko Haram victims
■ It’s an election gimmick –Residents ■ We’ll stop them –Police
October 18 will remain a day to always remember by the family of Mr Hassan Muideen who is at the moment between life and death in a private hospital after he was knocked down while on a commercial mo¬torcycle in Ayobo area of Lagos by a truck which killed two other passengers on the spot. Almost a week after he miraculous¬ly survived the fatal crash, the victim was still being moved from one government hospital to the other with just no doctor to properly treat him due to excuses rang¬ing from lack of a specialist to handle cut veins at Ikeja General Hospital, to lack of bed space and later doctors’ strike in LA¬SUTH.
Same way, Friday June 6 will remain a sad day in the life of Bisola, a graduate, who got hit by a motorcyclist while walking along the road in Surulere area of the state. The four victims in the two incidents joined the endless list of Nigerians who were either killed or injured by the reckless activities of commercial motorcycle operators popularly known as okada who seem to have defied La¬gos State government ban and fully returned to major roads across the state despite the new traffic laws removing them from several roads.
“My husband was going to a church pro¬gramme early in the morning. He took the okada along with another passenger. Along the road, a truck hit them killing the rider and the other passenger on the spot while my husband who was also thought to be dead by passersby was later rushed to the Ikeja Gen¬eral hospital by someone who noticed he was still breathing. Some veins were believed to have been cut in his hand and neck but we have been moving from one hospital to the other since then, no help from the doctors”, Mrs Bosede Hassan narrated.
According to Bisola, who is equally still nursing her wounds: “It was a painful ex¬perience; I was walking along the road in Surulere where they are not allowed to ply when this reckless okada rider hit me. I was in pains but he sped off. I thought they were banned, I just wish the authorities didn’t al¬low them access to our roads.”
Their pathetic stories and more have drawn widespread criticisms from concerned residents who believe the state government has suddenly gone weak on the ban of com¬mercial motorcycles on some major roads in the state. The ban, which was part of a set of traffic rules signed into law in August 2012 by Governor Babatunde Fashola, saw to the confiscation of thousands of motorcycles across the state. Despite claims by govern¬ment that the ban is still in existence, Satur¬day Sun observed that okada riders seem to have returned to most of the forbidden areas. Some of the areas include Apapa-Oshodi road, Lagos-Ikorodu road, Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere, Ketu and some parts of Lagos Island, among others. Top on the list is the Apapa-Oshodi and Badagry expressways where the okada operators not only violate the ban but also the traffic rules by moving against traffic with impunity.
Traffic regulators, including officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Author¬ity (LASTMA), who seem to be helpless are seen co-coordinating their activities in some cases.
“If we stop them, Nigerians plying this area will suffer. Their presence has saved a lot of lives. Even Fashola is aware that they are here. As long as the construction lasts, these okada operators remain a necessary evil,” says a LASTMA official who was try¬ing to control them to enable pedestrians to cross the highway unharmed.
Saturday Sun gathered that the return of the okada riders was staged by the state government to win back the support of mo¬torcyclists who have threatened to withdraw their support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if the ban is not lifted as the 2015 elections draw nearer.
“Can’t you see what is going on, the same government that gave them helmet, banned them before and has now allowed them ac¬cess to the roads. This is just a plan to amass support for 2015”, Johnson Olakunle stated.
According to him, the law would help to check the rising cases of accidents on major roads and would help to restore law and order to the roads across the state.
Reacting to the access they now have to the roads where they have been banned, some of the operators describe it as a welcome de¬velopment. “Na this job I dey use chop, dey feed my family. The ban really spoil business for me, but now it seems them don stop am”, said one of the motorcyclists
Speaking to Saturday Sun on how the law enforcement agencies are upholding the ban, Idowu, a commercial motorcyclist, who works along Funsho Williams Avenue in Su¬rulere, said it seems the Police and LASTMA have got tired of their duty. “It seems dem don forget us, but dem dey collect money sometimes”, he said.
His colleague, Tajudeen supported his view as he confirmed that all is at ease at the moment between the law enforcement offic¬ers and the okada riders.
Kayode, a resident and a former motorcy¬cle rider, who spoke to Saturday Sun was of a different view as he narrated the ordeal he faced as he was harassed by the police for not meeting their demands. “They told me to park and seized the key of my bike, because I refused to drop something for them. This kind of harassment has been ongoing for a while now and the government is doing noth¬ing about it”, he complained.
Also, a police officer, who does not want his name in print, blamed the motorcycle rid¬ers for accidents and crime in the state. “They hardly obey traffic rules. They drive reckless¬ly and are capable of assisting crime, that is why we don’t hesitate to arrest offenders and confiscate their bikes”, he said.
Efforts to get LASTMA official reaction on the issue were rebuffed. However, the state Police spokesman, DSP Kenneth Nwo¬su, refuted claims that the police were not working to enforce the ban order. “The ban still stands, and the commissioner of police also directed our men to arrest anyone flout¬ing that order. The police is ever poised to enforce all lawful orders and we will never abdicate that responsibility”, he added.
It’s our only source of survival- Fleeing Boko Haram victims
Particularly benefitting from this act of lawlessnes are a group of persons who could best be described as victims of circumstance. One of such is Ismail Dagog, who still finds it hard to believe that he would abandon his lucrative business for a less paying job in the far South Western part of Nigeria. Borno State-born Ismail left a booming business and fled for his life in the face of the fierce attack of Boko Haraminsurgents in his state. This is not peculiar to Ismail only. Many northerners, especially those from Borno and Adamawa states, who used to smile to the bank daily, now eke out a living from riding motorcycles in the streets of Lagos. Olatunji Rahmon, a tipper driver told Saturday Sun that fleeing northerners come in late at night in large numbers.
When Saturday Sun met with some of them at Mazamaza, Kirikiri, they lamented about leaving behind tangible things and prospects and settling for uncertainties in La¬gos in a bid to save their necks from the cruel sword of deadly insurgents.
“I used to sell rice, flour and other food stuffs. I had a big shop. In fact, in a day I could sell 20 bags of rice but because of the terrible attack of Boko Haram in Borno State, I had to run for my life. Now I am riding a motorcycle and I don’t even have enough as I used to have before,” Ismail said, soberly. Twenty-two-year-old Solomon Bitrus from Madagali in Adamawa State had a bitter tale to tell also. “When I was at home, we could invest N50,000 or N100,000 into farm¬ing and earn N100,000, N150,000 or much more. We used to sell 10 bags of beans in a day for N15,000 or N20,000 each and make good money but now what we earn is far less than that,” he said.
Solomon was not just a farmer while in Adamawa but also a part one student of the Adamawa State College of Education, Hong, where he was studying Biology/Geography. However, his education was halted because of incessant attacks in the state. “I came to Lagos in July. I was studying Biology/Geog¬raphy at the College of Education in Hong, Adamawa. The school had to close in Febru¬ary because of Boko Haram crisis,” he said.
Solomon is not the only northerner who was forced out of school because of the crisis to hustle in Lagos. Philip Thomas, an indi¬gene of Milo in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, also was a 300 level student of Computer/Economics at the Col¬lege of Science and Technology, Bama in Borno State but had to leave Adamawa on the instruction of his parents. He said: “I came to Lagos in February. I was schooling at the College of Science and Technology, Bama but the school authorities ordered us to go home until further notice because of the crisis. That was in March 2012 when we were writing our exams. I waited for them to call us back but they didn’t. The crisis was too much, so my parents told me to come to Lagos”. Although it seems that the financial effect of the terrorism crisis is different, it is different strokes for different folks. Philip disclosed that he has more money than be¬fore. “Now I ride motorcycle and I have plenty money. I am even like Dangote who has many things,” he said, laughing.
Source: Sun
