Stranded Badagry Commuters Call For Peaceful Measures Due To Okada Ban

The Lagos State Government had on Feb. 1 commenced the enforcement of the Extant Transport Sector Reform Law 2018. 

Some commuters who were stranded on the Badagry-Lagos Expressway following the ban of motorcycles and tricycles on the highways, on Tuesday, called on the Lagos State Government to extend its peaceful measures to residents who lived in the area.

They made the call separately while narrating their ordeals, after they had spent hours at their various bus stops, waiting for non-available vehicles to transport them to their respective destinations.

The law banned the operation of motorcycles, popularly known as Okada and Tricycles (Keke) in some local government areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

The news correspondent who monitored the situation, reports that commuters in their numbers waited endlessly for buses and cars to take them to their destinations. 

Some of the bus stops visited were: Badagry Roundabout, Ibereko, Mowo, Agemowo, MTN, Oko-Afo, Morogbo, Pipeline, Ibiye, Ajibade and Agbara.

Security operatives, comprising Police, Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps and officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, were on the ground in most of the bus stops visited.

A commuter at Aradagun bus stop, Mr Joseph Avoseh, urged the state government to assign some of its BRT buses to the route to alleviate the sufferings of residents.

“Things are really difficult for us here; we don’t have good roads, our hope of getting “Okada” and “Keke” to transport us have been dashed, and still we need to get to our places of work daily.

“We have few buses plying the road because of its deplorable state; though, it is under construction, how do we survive this ban?

“Our government should come to our aids before things get out of hands.

“All the new 65 buses released by the Lagos State Government to different areas in the state, none was assigned to our route; can we then blame God for creating us here?

“I returned home on Monday after waiting for close to five hours at this bus stop; I left home 5.00 a.m and I am still waiting here for a bus; this hardship is getting too much,” he said.

Also, Mrs Folashade Okiki, a passenger at Oko-Afo, said that she trekked from Agemowo to the Bus Stop with the hope of getting a bus to Agbara.

Okiki begged the state government to exempt Badagry-Lagos Expressway from the ban. 

“By restricting “Okada” and “Keke” from plying this road, the state government is just adding to our problems.

“We rely on these as our means of transportation because few buses and cars are plying this road in view of its deplorable condition. 

“On Monday, many of us here trekked down to Agbara from Agemowo; I felt weak because of the distance I trekked and again no bus to carry us today,” she said.

Another commuter, Mr Sunday Avoseh, at Badagry Roundabout, said it was difficult living in the border communities like Owode, Iyaafin, Kankon, Apa and Kweme Kingdoms and get to Badagry now due to the restrictions.

Avoseh said the road leading to those communities were in a deplorable state, adding that cars and buses were avoiding the routes, while commuters relied solely on motorcycles and tricycles for transportation.

“Now that they have been restricted from accessing the expressway, we have to stop around Gbaji and continue our journey trekking. 

“Many of us trekked to Badagry Roundabout because the motorcycle operators stopped before accessing the expressway at Gbaji Junction.

“There is no bus to convey us down, so, we decided to trek to the Bus Stop here,” he said.

In her reactions, a trader at Mowo Bus Stop, Mrs Tawa Ibrahim, said the pains created by the restriction were huge because commercial buses and cars were avoiding plying the road.

Ibrahim complained that being the road leading to the neighbouring countries, there were many checkpoints which prevented motorists from the route. 

“We have Customs checking points, Immigration checking points, Border Patrol Police and normal Nigeria Police.

“I don’t blame the commercial drivers because the Police checking points alone from Badagry to Agbara were more than 12 and they do collect at least N100 per bus and car.

“If you made N2,000 from a trip and spent N1,500 to settle police on the way, how will you make profit or get money to buy petrol?

“It is easy for Okada and Keke to pass through those checking points, but with the restrictions, our suffering continues in this area,” she said.

They include: Apapa LGA, Apapa/Iganmu LCDA, Lagos Mainland, Yaba LCDA, Surulere LGA, Itire-Ikate and Coker-Aguda LCDAs and Ikeja LGA. 

Others were Onigbongbo and Ojodu LCDAs, Eti-Osa LGA, Ikoyi-Obalende and Iru/Victoria Island LCDAs, Lagos Island LGA and Lagos Island East LCDA.

The state government also banned motorcycles and tricycles from operating on the highways, bridges and roads listed in the law.