The Chairman of Lekki Phase 1 Residents’ Association, Mr Yomi Idowu, speaks with BABATUNDE TITILOLA on the experiences of residents with commercial motorcyclists popularly known as okada riders before the ban by the Lagos State Government and how foreigners masquerade as okada riders to commit crimes
What do you have to say about the ban on okada operations in Lekki Phase 1?
Ban on okada has been on for a long time. This is the third of the ban. We made it clear that we didn’t want them here because they are a complete nuisance. So it was banned some two years ago. It was banned again, and now banned again. The government always supports us to clear them out of here. The police always support us even before the final ban. We have been doing that and we are not relenting. The government too has been kicking them out even before this ban.
Concerning the ban, were the residents’ associations carried along by the state government in the process of deciding on the ban?
Yes. We talked to the government and they knew that it was not desirable to have them here. And the government is overwhelmed because the numbers of okadas are so many and the enforcement agents are not many. So that is a problem. This time around, I am also calling on all the estates in this axis to please come out and form their own task forces, and get rid of these okadas in their own domains, and then leave the highways for the government. We are supporting the government. They need to come out too and support the government. They cannot just sit down in their own estates while okadas are going up and down, and expect the government to come and chase them out. The government is busy clearing the highways. Let us also do the same and clear them out of our own estates. So, we are talking to the government and the government is talking to us.
The government argued that one of the reasons for ban was due to the incessant criminal activities in the areas affected by the ban. What was the security situation like in Lekki Phase 1 before the final ban?
Lekki Phase 1 is more than an estate. It is like a town. It used to be peaceful until the okadas started coming and until after the #EndSARS. All those people who came here during the #EndSARS have made this place their living areas. They are not going back to where they came from. The security is bad. Before, we used to jog around 5am. But okadas have been attacking people during this time. Okadas have been coming in to rob us at gunpoint. The security has been so bad and Lekki is porous because of many avenues to come in and get out. We have been trying to curtail that by erecting gates at all our perimeters but the government is saying we cannot, because Lekki is not just an estate. But I also tell them that even if it is not an estate but a town, a town deserves security. If you are calling it a town, give us a police station. So security has been bad here because of the okadas. That’s why they had to ban it again.
So are you saying there had been a series of arrests of okada riders who were found guilty of committing crimes?
Yes! We have a task force here in Lekki Phase 1. In conjunction with the police, they will come here to help us kick them out. But you see, when they kick them out, they come back again. Two days ago, we arrested about seven okadas. They were policemen, maybe fake, I cannot confirm because they wore police t-shirts. We arrested them and took the okadas to the police station to identify them. So there are so many of them. As you kick them out, they will come back.
You said the ban is not the first. Do you think there can be a final end to the issue of removing okadas in the areas listed?
I just pray that when we give the bikes to the police and they take them to their quarters, they are destroyed. And I pray the government can actually show us the video where they are destroyed so people can see that they are destroyed, not that they will take them away and give them back to other people, because if you take 500 out today, 1,000 will come back tomorrow. So that is the problem we have here. But we in Lekki Phase 1 have continually kicked them out even before the ban. At times they will attack us. They will call their men to attack us. They even wounded some of our security men. When they were banned again, they sent a message that they were going to attack Lekki Phase 1 because we were the one that said the government should ban them. But we are not deterred. We are going to kick them out from here eventually. I’m just praying that all the other estates are doing the same thing.
Apart from seizing the okadas, is there any other way it could be solved?
I believe if there is no passenger, there will be no okada. So we have told the government and the government has agreed with us. The passenger and the okada rider will both be arrested and prosecuted. That is what we are working on now. When you chase an okada, they drop the passenger and run away. This time around, we will arrest the passenger and take them to the police station. By the time we do it for one week, nobody will ride okada again. And once they don’t see passengers, they will go back.
On the part of the residents now, what has been the impact of the ban so far? Are the residents finding it easy and convenient?
They are very happy because the okadas are a nuisance. If they hit your car on the road, they will stop to harass you. Others will also stop and lynch you even if they are wrong. They will come through one-way and ask you to move. The residents are happy that at least there is a serene atmosphere now. The okadas are not many anymore but they can see that the Lekki Phase 1 association is trying to kick them out. They are so happy about it. We have buses. They can get on the buses and the buses will take them to the bus stop where they can walk. People are happy about it and they are praying that we can actually get them out completely.
Regarding the reasons for the ban, what do you think will be the fate of the disengaged okada riders? Will their lack of jobs not push them into committing more crimes?
Firstly, where are the okada riders from? Most of them are not from Nigeria. They are from Niger, Chad, etc. And the Arewa Association has also supported the government. They are also tired of these people from other countries that ride okadas giving them a bad name. So if Arewa is supporting it, then there is no problem. Let them go back to where they came from or go into farming. There are farmlands that are empty. Okada is not wanted. So they should go and do something else. As for crime, the police are up to it to arrest and prosecute anybody that commits criminal activities. Yes, the crime rate may increase but all security outfits will also engage them. We will up our game. The gate will be locked by nine. With them, there is crime. So if without them, there is crime too, let us get to that page then we can see what to do.
The residents might as well be committing crimes. What general measures would you propose to the government to end criminal activities in the areas affected by the ban once and for all?
What brings up crime is poverty, lack of jobs. Now there are young able men between the ages of 10 to 27 that are running around with no job. Some are begging. Some are snatching your phones. It is joblessness. The government should create jobs and engage these young men. There are many ways of doing that. The government can build a complex or stadium and engage them and clean them up. Some of them can be useful for the communities. Age twelve to twenty-six is the prime age of young men. You can get good footballers and basketballers from them. You can get artists from them. Some of them are even ready to do something but they have not learnt it. Some are ready to go back to school but there is no money. So it is on the government to create something to engage these young men roaming around. During the #EndSARS, about 500,000 were around Lekki here. If there is a riot or a protest, they will use that opportunity to attack and loot. During the #EndSARS, when people loot a shop because of hunger, they burn the shop after looting. So the government should come up with projects and ideas on how to take these boys off the streets. They are Nigerians and they are there because of the government. So the government should think out of the box on how to engage these young men that are Nigerians. It is not only in the Lekki area. If you go to Mushin, Apapa, and Surulere, it’s the same thing; Young able-bodied men walking up and down doing nothing. There are a lot of things that can be done to take these boys off the streets. We have very few policemen. They can join the police force. They can be trained in the military. The government should do something because you cannot drive at night and your tire has a problem, you will be afraid that once these boys come around, they will attack you. They are so angry with the society.
What message do you have for other estates’ associations?
I’m calling on all chairpersons of all other estates in these environs to come out and support the government. It is the most important thing. We have over 109 estates in this area and over 100 chairpersons. I’m calling on all of them to come up with their own task forces and rid okadas out of the estates to support the government’s efforts.
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