I’m appealing vehemently to the people friendly Governor of Oyo State who also runs a populist government to help save the lives of commuters and pedestrians in Oyo State by urgently and proactively control and regulate the indiscriminate and uncoordinated ways and manners the okada riders care-freely roam and hover all over the city of Ibadan.
The menace and havoc being caused and inflicted everyday unceasingly on the road users in Oyo State are unimaginable. Day-in -day out, I witness ghastly as well as fatal accidents caused by the unwholesome activities of okada riders. These unavoidable accidents are several ones, but too many. Innocent lives are continuously wasted while several persons have been maimed , fatally injured and wounded.
I have said it umpteenth times that governance and indeed good governance is not a rocket science. What does it require? It is as simple as A, B, C as my leader and mentor, Senator Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi was fond of saying. SAAA opined that, ” Any form of problems can be dealt with in 3 ways- (i) you can contest the problem (ii) you can resolve the problem and (iii) you can dissolve the problem ”
In the present plague of okada riders afflicting and bedevilling all of us in Oyo State, GSM does not have to re-invent the wheel, all it requires is to implement the existing law enacted during the tenure of Governor Lam Onaolapo Adesina of blessed memory which already regulated the operations of okada in Oyo State .
SAAA developed that law further and sought to amend but same was frustrated by the house of assembly in the state between 2011 -2015 who chose to behave “populistly” like GSM is also behaving now. Coincidentally, my dearest and loving Sister, a pious and indefatigable Distinguished Senator Monsurat Olajumoke Sunmonu was the Speaker of the State House of Assembly at that time and she is also by the very special grace of God the godmother of GSM who has no godfather.
Paraphrasely what the existing law on the subject and the amendment proposed by SAAA provided are chiefly and basically as follows-
1. Okada operations shall be from 6am to 6pm daily
2. There shall be no operation of okada on any dual carriage way in Oyo State and on any highways within the state
3. No okada rider shall carry more than 1 passenger
4. The okada rider and the single passenger must wear helmets
5. No operation of okada within any residential areas because okada riders are expected to drop off their passengers on the road
6. No okada rider must operate anywhere within the state unless the rider and the motorcycle itself has been duly registered by the Oyo State Government
Now, the pertinent question to be asked is – What will the Oyo State Government and GSM lose if the above are put into effect and implemented in Ibadan and or even in the whole of Oyo State?
I make bold to say and assert that neither GSM nor Oyo State Government and even the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) have nothing whatsoever to lose. Rather the implementation of the policy would endear GSM to the peace loving people of Oyo State and ultimately increase his fortunes in the forthcoming election.
GSM and Oyo State Government should please save the lifes of our people by putting a complete halt to the ongoing slaughtering and maiming of the victims of the uncontrolled activities of okada riders in Ibadan City and Oyo State.
Dated at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division,this 19th day of October, 2022
JCI Senator Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo,
Asiwaju of Ita-Ege & Idi-Aro,
Ward 5,
Ibadan South-East Local Government Area,
Oyo State,
Nigeria
Email- adebayoojo90@gmail.com
