They have fixed Wednesday for another protest to force the government to rescind its decision despite a court judgment affirming the right of the government to legislate on roads in the state.
The leadership of the commercial motorcyclists in conjunction with the Joint Action Front, JAC, met at the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC Headquarters annex, Yaba on Sunday to strategise for Wednesday’s mass protest against the state government.
The riders derided the judgment delivered by the Lagos High Court, which they claimed favoured government to the detriment of their business.
JAC Secretary, Abiodun Aremu explained that the riders have a right to operate in Lagos State, stressing that the restriction order on them from plying 475 strategic roads in the metropolis would throw many of them into the unemployment market.
“Banning them from plying these routes is unacceptable. The best the government can do is to create dedicated lanes for riders as being done for BRT or provide alternatives for them, as done in some states where okada was banned.
“We are holding another protest on Wednesday by 8 a.m. and the protest will start from the NLC building and all okada riders should be present for the protest. We want to assure you that the procession for Wednesday is supported by the Nigerian law. The protest won’t be violent and any attempt by the police to stop the protest and turn it into a violent protest should be blamed on the government,” he said.
Aremu said the protest held on 10 December was stopped because the police intervened and tried to make it violent so that they could attack okada riders, adding that the right to protest is guaranteed under the law.
“All okada riders should come out for the protest. The declaration of this protest is one that requires all categories of working people to come out for the protest to salvage the poor. The right to protest is one we are not prepared to negotiate with the police,” he said.
“The protest is to repel those oppressing us. If the police feel strongly about the protest, the best they can do is to provide security for us. The police should for once choose the path that is responsible. If the protest was for Fashola, the police would allow it.
“If there is violence on Wednesday, the police should be held responsible. The police cannot threaten us,” he declared.
He explained that in places where okada was banned, the government provided alternatives which was not done in Lagos State, adding: “How can you take away people’s means of livelihood without providing alternatives for them?
“This action exposes the irresponsibility of the state government. There were actually protests in those places but the governments provided alternatives for the riders, but the Lagos situation is different. In Abuja, okada riders still operate fully in several places except where the rich live.
“A government cannot take the means of livelihood of people without providing alternatives. We have a government that is clearly irresponsible to the people. Fashola promised okada riders the last time that if they voted for him, he will not ban them, but now he has banned them after they voted for him.”
Responding to the non-provision of alternatives to okada riders displaced from the roads, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Aderemi Ibirogba, said government actually provided opportunities for the riders affected by the restriction to key into the transportation plans of the government.
He said there were plans by government to introduce more mass transit schemes to alleviate the plight of the people affected by the restriction.
Ibirogba advised okada riders to organise themselves into groups and come for franchise in the government transport scheme. “Those who want to learn vocational skills can enrol in our vocational training programmes for free,” he added.
He warned that government would not allow riders operate the way they were doing presently and urged Lagosians to be patient as their suffering would soon be over. source
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