Okada Menace In Lagos State: Ban or Not...

Hello Friends!
Aside the menace of corruption and bad governance in our country today, is the huge monster that seemed to have come to stay - OKADA.It can be termed as part of the numerous challenges of living in a mega city like Lagos. Over time, car owners have willingly resolved to jumping on and off these means of transportation daily as they not only get to areas that are ordinarily un motorable, but they have become obvious saviours to the Lagos traffic. If you live in Lagos and have been doing so for some time now, you would agree with me that Okadas have relieved the burden placed on the need for adequate transportation in the state.
It is a notorious fact that the challenge of public transportation is not peculiar to Lagos State alone. London, in the UK with her years of structured and organized rail and public transportation, still experience short falls and struggles to meet the transportation needs of her growing population. This however, does not mean that the alternative means of transportation must totally eradicate the population of that particular state (as daily seen in Lagos State).
As funny as the above may sound, it happens to be the bitter and obvious truth. As seen in the above picture, many lives are lost daily by the recklessness of the Okada riders in Lagos State and also in other states of Nigeria. States like Imo, Cross River and The Federal Capital Territory have since banned the use of Commercial motorcycles (Okadas) in their respective States as reports show that the dis advantages of having them around, far out weighs the advantages.I honestly think this is the case for Lagos State. Last December, My sister's hand bag was violently snatched from her shoulders while she was walking a short distance to work by 7:30am! According to her, it was the most strangest of movies! She never imagined that she would ever fall a victim. That is just a piece of the monstrous puzzle called Okada. Reports abound of numerous citizens of the state who have been either kidnapped for rituals by Okada riders, or out rightly cornered, then killed for ritual purposes! Should we mention the daily occurrences of accidents as a result of these Okadas? The list of atrocities and evil perpetrated by them is endless and if you ponder carefully, you will agree that the dis advantages of having commercial motorcycles as means of transportation in Lagos State, far out weighs the advantages!The Fashola administration must be praised and congratulated for the giant steps taken to ease the high demands of adequate transportation in the State through the provision of BRT buses  and other initiatives. But the lives and properties of her citizens must also be placed on a  priority scale. We all have a huge part to play in curbing this menace as when we board these Okadas, we have every right to insist that the rider drives safe and has all safety measures in place (Helmet).   In as much as most of us hate this alternative means of transportation, we must not forget the fact that most families rely on the income generated from it... Perhaps,adequate education and awareness on basic traffic laws, Health and safety should be implemented to help reduce the number of accidents that Okadas cause daily.
In all of these, I still maintain that they should totally be banned, so that peace and safety would return to our society. It all bothers on the way your scale tilts. Examine the pros and cons of having commercial motorcycles in our society and let your voice be heard...


XOXO
Simply Cheska.