The Oyo state government says plans are underway to issue identification numbers and registration jackets to commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada riders, in the state.
The Commissioner for Budget and Economic planning, Prof. Musibau Babatunde, who disclosed this known in Ibadan on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting with commercial motorcycle riders,explained that the registration was part of the state government’s drive to ensure effectiveness of the ongoing residents’ registration programme.
Prof. Musibau said the registration will help in planning properly for the security architecture of the state, in the long-run.
He also said:“States across the south-west have been banning operations of commercial motorcyclists, but we know that will have its own socio-economic challenges. So rather than banning them, we felt it is pertinent to know the number of bike-riders in the State and use that for our security architecture”
He added that there are multi-dimensional benefits accruable to the registration exercise, both for the motorcyclists and the state, in terms of security and economic planning.
Besides,the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, said the registration will help regulate the influx of commercial motorcyclists into the state.
He emphasised that the registration will be free, adding that the proactive approach to regulate the activities of commercial motorcyclists by the Governor Seyi Makinde administration, is in order to prevent breakdown of law and order.
He said that the state government has made necessary arrangements to update the database of the riders in conjunction with its consultant.
“We will set up a task force consisting of both the union and other relevant agencies that will make sure that unregistered riders don’t operate within the state,” he said.
On his part, the Special Assistant to the Governor on ICT and e-governance, Bayo Akande, said that the registration process was initiated by the state government to distinguish every rider operating in the state.
This, he said, had become imperative in order to curb every form of criminality and other social vices.
“Actually, registration exercises had commenced months back at every Local government and office of the Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority. All is now set to provide numbered jackets, in order to identify riders who are duly registered with the state”.
Responding on behalf of the commercial bike riders, Comrade Yusuf Muritala commended Governor Seyi Makinde led administration for not considering a ban on their activities.
Comrade Muritala disclosed that the Oyo state motorcyclists are ready to cooperate with the state government to register its members in the state’s database.
He expressed the readiness of the commercial motorcycle riders in Oyo state to abide by the rules and regulations established by the government to regulate the activities of their operations.
