If they say we weren’t licenced, why collecting daily taxes?—Okada, Keke riders ask
Ahead of February 1st enforcement of ban on use of Motorcycle (Okada) and Tricycle (Keke) on select highways across Lagos State, operators have raised questions begging for answers from the state government.
Recall that the Lagos State Government had earlier in the week, announced total ban on use of both means of transportation on grounds of high rate of accidents, urban sanity and abuse of traffic rules.
However, explaining why the state government took the decision, Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, who spoke on Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, claimed that “As far as I know, nobody has been licenced to go and start running Okada because it is unfortunate that … the rate at which people are dying; the rate at which people are being robbed on the roads; the police are worried, everybody is worried.”
He added, “In fact, what the government was trying to look at is how to regulate these people so that their excesses can be curtailed.
However, a cross-section of the transport operators expressed worries on the looming unemployment crisis effective February 1, when the ban will come to force.
They argued that every day, before they begin operations on any road, they must pay for operational ticket to the Local Government officials.
In their lead argument, they queried the rationale behind the collection of daily operating ticket by the third tier of government if that does not represent licence to operate for the day?
Explaining more, the Commissioner revealed that the State Security Council took the decision after a robust assessment of the debate on the rate of accidents in the state.
He added that the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) recorded about 104,000 accident cases involving the common Lagosians with broken arms and legs.
