Oyo To Regulate Not Ban Okada — Seyi Makinde

The Oyo State Government has revealed that it would not impose a ban on the operations of commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada in the state.

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, made this known on Saturday during his third anniversary media chat on television.

The governor who noted that his administration cannot ban Okada operations because some of them were trustworthy added that it is a legitimate business that fills a need in the state and serves as a means of livelihood to a lot of families.

Makinde revealed that rather than ban, his administration would regulate the okada riders operations in the state.

"We have no intention of banning Okada in Oyo state.

"We will regulate them, we will identify them and the criminals will be dealt with.

"I have seen people with their cars jump okada to go to the bank. They are serving a purpose.

“We will regulate, identify and deal with the criminal among them but we won’t just ban Okada because another state bans them.

"They’re filling a vacuum and you don’t take legitimate people out of business. If we ban them, what next?

“When we identify them: who, what, where, we let the people know that there may be criminal elements.

"If we wholesale send them out, we will have more criminal issues. They could become armed robbers.

“We go to some advanced countries and we see them paying people to keep the crime rate low.

"We have to create a safety net before we begin to put people out of business," he concluded.

The governor's decision is coming on the heels of the ban of commercial motorcycle operations in some parts of Lagos.

The ban became active in Lagos State after some criminal activities were tied to commercial motorcyclists.