Some residents of Kafanchan area of Jema’a Local government of Kaduna State, on Tuesday expressed their anger over the ban on the operation of commercial motorcyclists, otherwise known as Okada in the area without the provision of other alternative means of transportation.
Some of the residents who spoke with DAILY POST said the ban on Okada without an alternative means of transportation in the Semi-urban area was the highest level of insensitivity to the plight of the common people that are finding it very difficult to live in this hard time.
A resident, Thomson Peter lamented thus: ”Before imposing any law, there is need to examine the negative effect of it. Banning Okada in Kafanchan axis will cause more harm to us as a people than good.
“A lot of social ills such as Kidnapping, arm robbery and drug abuse will increase because most of this Okada riders are youths and they also have their own families.
“An idle man, according to an adage is a devil’s workshop. If these youths don’t have anything to do, the next thing that will come to their minds is evil. I call on the government to look into this matter and help the masses,” Thomson said.
Mrs Sarah Abong also decried the banning of Okada riders which she described as the highest level of injustice to the common people of Kafanchan.
“I am going to the hospital to see a Doctor, the Police, KASTELEA and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps stopped us and collected the Machine, asking the Okada man to go to the bank and pay the sum of five thousand naira (5,000). Where is he going to get N5, 000 from?
“I have been standing here for more than forty minutes because they seized the Machine and I can’t see any Tricycle. I had to trek for a long distance from Police headquarters to NEPA roundabout, you can’t even see Tricycle in my area.
“Now we have reaffirmed El-Rufai’s essence of bringing KASTELEA in the state. They are out to generate money for him without considering the plight of the masses. We do not vote him to impose more hardship on us in spite of what we are going through in this period of economic recession.
“I call on the governor to revers this law immediately or provide alternative means that will ease the transportation system in Kafanchan,” she lamented.
Another resident, Mrs. Martha Obadiah, said, ”This act is very disheartening. I left my house this morning to come and pay for NEPA bills, luckily when coming, I got a Tricycle that brought me but to go back home is a problem. I have been standing here for more than 30 minutes and there is no single Tricycle to carry me home.
“My business is there, nobody to take care of it while I am standing here without moving an inch. Okada has reduced a lot of criminal activities in Kafanchan axis, it keeps these youths busy. The moment you stop them from this business, what do you expect them to do? That’s their only means of livelihood,” Martha explained.
She said if the government did not provide alternative means for them, ”some of the youths would be forced to go into criminal activities that would endanger all of us because they have families to take care of and they must survive.”
She advised the state government to get all the Okada riders registered with a certified letter each from their village head, indicating they are from that community and those who are not residents have to leave to their own places for proper identification.
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