by Kolapo Olapoju

Motorcyclists known as ‘Okada riders’ in these parts are surprisingly adamant in offering services to people who don’t need nor appreciate their services.

The past few years have been challenging for Okada riders in Lagos and some other parts of the country, owing to their ban in major expressways and selected areas.

While some moved to areas where they were allowed to operate, others switched to tricycle riding, better known as ‘Keke Napep’.

However, some remained in business and resigned to fate at the mercy of unscrupulous police officers.

As for the Okada riders in Lekki community, who have been enjoying seamless operation for some time, things have began to go awry for them, as members of the community insist that they no longer require their services.

The community members informed them that moving forward, they can only tolerate Keke Napeps as the commercial mode of transportation in the area.

But hell no, the Okada riders won’t accept that and on Wednesday, 6May, they trooped out to stage an almost violent protest at Lekki Phase I because they were unhappy that residents didn’t want them in the area anymore.

The angry Okada riders barricaded the Lekki/Ikoyi bridge, wielding machetes and other dangerous weapons, thereby preventing vehicular movement into and out of the area.

The Police was eventually compelled to intervene and quell the situation, after which the Police spokesperson, Kenneth Nwosu, issued a statement on the matter.

He said:

“There is a demonstration by some members of the Okada riders group after the Lekki Residents Association said they don’t want Okada to operate in their neighbourhood. The association said they only want tricycles to operate there as using commercial motorcycles encouraged criminality there.

“The Okada riders then decided to breach the peace of the neighbourhood and our men had to pick them up. People should learn to be lawful; you can’t compel a particular set of people to tow a particular line which they don’t like. They have said they don’t want Okada in their neighbourhood, then they should go to another neighbourhood where Okada is accepted.”

Understandably, it never bodes well for anyone to be stripped of their source of livelihood, but if the patronage is no longer needed, one has to shift base and seek another job.

For the Okada riders, it is a rude shock but there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it, and as such they have to comply with the yearning of the residents and start their long journey back to the mainland or other parts of Lagos that still require their services.