Fashola Warns Reckless Okada Riders

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has warned reckless motorcycle riders (okada) to desist from the act while appealing to residents of the state to obey traffic rules and regulations.

The governor vowed to battle the recklessness of okada riders, saying that the riders have become a nuisance to the society as they do not obey traffic laws.

Fashola, who spoke on Tuesday when the Inspector General of Police, Afiz Ringim, paid him a visit at State House, Marina, Lagos Island, Lagos, South West Nigeria, appealed to all citizens, especially traffic operators, transporters and operators of commercial motorcycles to resist the temptation to drive against traffic in a way that endangers other citizens.

Fashola said he was giving okada riders the final warning to obey traffic rules or be prepared to face the wrath of the law as the state could no longer condone their excesses.

“There will be no compromise in our commitment to enforce law and order. Whilst we welcome everyone to do business in our state, we will however stand up firm to ensure that you do so within the law”, he warned.

The governor also canvassed for the decentralization of the Police Command structure in Lagos state to create more area commands in order to provide adequate security for the growing population in the state.

Fashola said the present structure was no longer adequate to provide security in some areas of the state as those areas have grown over the years both in terms of population and investments.

Such areas, he said, included Epe, Badagry and Ikorodu, which, according to him, had become bustling towns with ever increasing population and economic activities as well as existing investment opportunities.

Fashola pointed out that the existing area commands had become too small to adequately provide security for the areas under their command, adding that “I think the time has come to create more area commands. For instance, we are administering Badagry from FESTAC. Ikorodu is a busy bustling town and I think it deserves another area command of its own and so is Epe.”

He pledged that his administration would provide infrastructure to accommodate the new area commands, saying, “We are ready to work to provide infrastructure to set them up if approved.”

Fashola also reiterated his call for the amendment of the nation’s constitution to create room for the establishment of State Police, describing as an anomaly a situation where law enforcement in a Federation is neither federal in character nor in content.

“The logic for the existence of State Police is with us today; it has been with us yesterday and I think with the new National Assembly, this is the time to do it”, Governor Fashola said adding, “We cannot pretend to be a Federation where law enforcement is not federal in content and character,” he stated.

Commending the Nigerian Police Force for maintaining the peace during the last general elections, Fashola, however, charged the security agencies to hasten investigations on those alleged to have attempted to disrupt the exercise in anyway in order to bring them to justice.

“It is as well to say that, regarding the last general elections, the work of the police is not yet finished. A lot of people were apprehended while trying to interfere with our elections and if we must demonstrate that we truly mean what we are saying about cleaning our electoral system, by the time investigations are concluded, those people must be charged to court to ensure that justice is completely done concerning our electoral process.

“ Lagos State is taking the lead here. We have already compiled the list of those involved in electoral malpractices during the exercise and investigations are going on; soon we will be collaborating with the appropriate team of experts to bring these people to justice,” he stated.

According to him, “I think this is the way we can actually demonstrate that we mean what we say. We must demonstrate our resolve to change what we do not accept if we say we want a successful and transparent electoral system.”

—Kazeem Ugbodaga