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Thepledge Big Story: Insecurity: Time To Enforce Okada Ban In Lagos
By Augustine Akhilomen
The increasing rate of insecurity across Nigeria, most recently due to the activities of bandits, gunmen, and other criminal activities, has called for urgent action by the Lagos State government to ensure that the safety and security of Lagosians remains their number one priority.
Over the years, a major part of the human experience of terrorism has been that terrorists have taken advantage of what should ordinarily provide some relief to supply horror instead. In this way, the unfolding situation with commercial motorcyclists popularly known as okada is indeed telling and appalling.
There are indeed concerns, expressed by Nigerians, that some riders are migrants from other regions or countries within the sub-region, including Niger, Chad, Mali, and Cameroon, potentially including criminal or terrorist elements who use the job as a cover for nefarious activities or to plan attacks.
Terrorists, who run Nigeria’s booming kidnapping-for-ransom business, have also been known to ask for motorcycles as part of the ransom.
In Lagos, for instance, Okada, which has become the regular form of transportation and a means to escape tight corners, has been severely banned by successive governments in the state, with the current government inclusive. Governor Sanwo-Olu has many times in his administration come out to voice his disapproval of the activities of these riders and the threat to continue peace and security in the state.
Hence, his consistent directive to the police and the task force to impound okadas going against the stipulated laid-down rules and routes.
However, it appears that these laws have fallen on the deaf ears of some Okada riders, and with the influx of more Okadas into the state, there are growing fears that Lagos security alertness may be tested.
Reacting to the development, an environment expert, Prof. Akinsola Obajide told Thepledge that there is a need for the Lagos State Government to revisit the ban on okadas if they are to checkmate criminal activities in the state.
He said that the recent kidnapping and attacks carried out by gunmen and bandits in some parts of the Southwest should serve as a warning to the Lagos State Government.
“This period calls for serious security surveillance in the state considering the activities of bandits and gunmen in other Southwest regions.
“There is no doubt that these criminals always make use of okadas to perpetrate their evil activities, and it’s always swift. This is why Lagos will remain under a major threat, considering the fact that there is an influx of okada riders in the state.
“It will be important for the Lagos State Governor to reimpose the ban on Okada riders and deploy security operatives across the state.
Moreover, another security expert, Gabriel Olugbade, urged the Lagos State Government to be proactive and unleash their security operatives in areas known for okada activities.
He also advised them to comb the nooks and crannies of the state in order to flush out anyone attempting to cause havoc in the state.
“With the festive period around the corner, this is the moment the Lagos State government must swing into action by safeguarding Lagosians from any form of attack.
“It’s always scary for most people when they hear news of abduction and killings of innocent Nigerians in some part of the country by the notorious bandits and gunmen. To this end, I will suggest that the Lagos government deploy security operatives across every local government in the state.”
However, the recent activities of criminal activities in some parts of the Southwest, most especially in Kwara State, where bandits attacked the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area during a service, killing at least two people and abducting 38 worshipers.
These incidents sent shock waves of panic among Nigerians living in the Southwest region, as pockets of kidnapping and other criminal activities have also been recorded within the region.
Thepledge gathered from reports that some of these attacks and abductions are carried out with the use of Okadas and other trucks to convey their victims.
At a security meeting in Abuja recently, it was revealed that over three million okada riders have trooped into Lagos since 2020. Further findings showed that most of these Okada riders sneaked into the state at night, hiding their motorbikes in-between goods coming in from other states.
Interestingly, the bad ones among them are spread across almost all the communities in Lagos, waiting for the appropriate time to strike. It’s important that the Lagos State Government conduct serious security routines and surveillance to checkmate the activities of okada riders in the state.
Despite the ban and enforcement efforts, many riders (both Nigerian and foreign) continue to operate in prohibited areas, often due to a lack of viable transportation alternatives and inconsistent enforcement.
In all, the Lagos State Government, through its task force, should be proactive and not relent in efforts to make the state safe for the citizens. More will need to be done to checkmate the nefarious activities of these riders who apart from violating all norms and traffic rules, pose a big threat to the wellbeing of Lagosians.
…Says Demand For Student Loans Has Been Overwhelming
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr, has dismissed claims that the Federal Government’s student loan scheme favours children whose parents are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sawyerr described the allegation as a “completely ridiculous idea”, arguing that the electronic application process makes it impossible for NELFUND to determine or favour beneficiaries based on political affiliation.
“I have not heard this allegation, but I can tell you that it’s a completely ridiculous idea that the administration of Bola Tinubu is focused on trying to fund people who support the party. We are talking about students; many of them are yet to vote, some of them are going to be voting for the first time, [and] many of them are not party members.
“How, in any event, do we determine who is a party member and who isn’t? Even if you are running a manual process, how do you do that? You can’t. It’s unlikely to yield you any result,” Sawyerr said during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
He said the loan application process was designed around objective eligibility criteria, adding that applicants must apply electronically and provide information such as their names and matriculation numbers.
“It is a process you have to apply for this loan electronically. If you don’t have a name, you can’t apply for this loan. You provide your matriculation number; you have to be in a public institution,” he said.
The NELFUND MD added that the scheme’s system does not discriminate based on personal characteristics, religion or ethnicity.
“We have a system that is focused on people who are Nigerians and meet the standard. The system doesn’t recognise your gender. There is no bias in the system at the front end or the back end.
“This is a system that doesn’t care whether you are of one tribe or the other. This system does not have a view or an opinion on whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, or an African traditional religionist; it doesn’t want to know,” he said.
Sawyerr also said demand for the student loan had been “overwhelming”, describing the scheme as a lifeline for students struggling to finance their education.
He revealed that NELFUND had disbursed ₦162 billion in upkeep allowances, while the scheme had contributed to a reported 20 per cent reduction in student dropout rates.
Weighing in on repayment, Sawyerr said beneficiaries would repay the loans based on their ability to pay. He also said funds reportedly recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the scheme had not yet been received by NELFUND.
The student loan scheme was established under the Student Loans Act signed into law by President Tinubu in April 2024. It provides interest-free financial support to eligible Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions.
The scheme covers approved institutional charges and upkeep allowances, with repayment scheduled to begin two years after completion of the National Youth Service Corps programme.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday declared that President Donald Trump of the United States, US, is backing his proposed policy on the restoration of fuel subsidy.
Atiku had pledged to return the subsidy on fuel if elected as the President of Nigeria in 2027.
He made this known in a statement by his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu tagged, ‘Atiku boasts of stakeholders, Trump support on fuel subsidy’.
Parts of the statement read: “This is why my Production Subsidy is about putting money back into people’s pockets. Support what we produce and refine here, increase supply, monitor the price and make sure Nigerians feel the benefit at the pump.
“CORAN is saying support domestic production. America understands the importance of supporting strategic energy production.
“Yet Tinubu attacks relief for ordinary Nigerians while his government understands perfectly well how to grant waivers, incentives and concessions to multinational oil companies and businesses close to his administration.
“So why does intervention suddenly become bad economics when ordinary Nigerians are meant to benefit?”
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has said he is fully aware of the shortcomings of President Bola Tinubu’s administration but would not blame the incumbent if he succeeds him as president in 2027.
Adebayo said he understood the challenges confronting the country and the policies of the Tinubu administration that he considered wrong, insisting that whoever takes over government must accept both its achievements and liabilities.
He made the remarks during an interview on TVC’s Politics On Sunday.
“When I become president by God’s grace, I’m not going to blame President Tinubu. Once I take the oath of office, I am now inheriting everything that the president before me has done,” Adebayo said.
According to him, assuming responsibility for the country’s existing infrastructure and institutions also means accepting the problems inherited from the previous administration.
“Because if I’m going to go and enter a state house that wasn’t built by me, drive on a road that wasn’t built by me, and go and do convocation in universities that were not established by me, it means that the incumbent before me left some assets and if he left some liabilities also, I have to know,” he said.
Adebayo said even though he understands the condition of the Nigerian economy and the challenges facing the country, he’s ready to contest for president.
“Right now, I know the perilous state of the economy. I know the troubled state of affairs in Nigeria,” he said.
He also claimed to understand most of the areas where he believes the Tinubu administration had gone wrong.
“I know 99% of what President Tinubu is doing wrong. I know them, and I’m still hellbent on running for the office,” Adebayo said.
The SDP candidate said his approach to governance would be based on continuity rather than spending time assigning blame to his predecessor.
“So I don’t get in there and start blaming him after that. I know everything that is wrong with the government, and there’s a system of handover. So there’s a continuity in government,” he said.
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