FG to ban "Okada" nationwide

The Federal Government may soon ban the use of commercial motorcycles (“Okada”) as a means of transport in the country. That is once the proposal made by the National Council on Transport (NCT) and endorsed by the Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, is accepted.

According to a statement credited to Federal Ministry of Transport on Saturday evening stated that the ban of commercial motorcycle was one of the measures proposed towards adequate provision of safety and secure transportation in Nigeria.

The NCT which made the recommendation of its annual conference in Enugu State which was attended by all the state commissioners of transport, permanent secretaries, directors and officials in the federal and state ministries of transport, advised states to discourage the use of “Okada” as means of public transport.

The statement reads in part: “All states and the Federal Capital Territory have therefore been advised to establish a public transport system that ensure strict regulation of the operation of public passenger transportation system through a well-articulated management system for enhanced safety, security, effective and efficient service delivery.

“The states are to also develop master plans for the development of intelligent transport system to facilitate the development and management of their transport operations in line with emerging trends and global best practices.”

The council also agreed that all commercial vehicles should be properly registered in each state while their enumeration should be carried out occasionally to ensure safety and security.

Source: Punch