OGUNLANA, RAMINBA KNOCKS LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT OVER BAN ON OKADA AND MARUWA!

WE OPPOSE BLOODY REPRESSION OF ANTI-BAN PROTESTERS !

WE CALL ON LAGOSIANS BEARING THE BRUNT TO JOIN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE BAN!


We of the Radical Agenda Movement in the Nigerian Bar Association strongly condemn the
inhuman, unscientific and insensitive imposition of ban on Okada (motorcycles) and Maruwa (tricycles) by the Lagos State Government.

We are of the view that it is unscientific on the part of the Lagos State Government to impose such a ban at the face of terrible state of the network of inner roads in Lagos State, which the Okada and Maruwa ply on daily basis to relieve huge number of Lagosians of the stress of getting to their destinations.

While we welcome multi-pronged approach to transportation in Lagos State including but not limited to water and rail transportation, this must be done systematically in a way that voluntarily discourages use of Okadas and Maruwas and not by forceful elimination of the Okada and Maruwa drivers.

It is clear that many of the riders of Okada and Maruwa are unemployed graduates who took to the profession at the face of absence of industries and near collapse of the power sector that can engender small businesses.

We are of the view that Okada and Maruwa drivers constitute a reflection of the primitive State that the ruling elite has left production and services in the country. With massive  creation of jobs through State investment in industrialization, a vast layer of current Okada and Maruwa drivers will voluntarily abandon the profession and be absorbed into active production.

Therefore, without providing these solutions, the ban is more or less artificial and scratching the problems on the surface. The ban has thrown thousands of drivers who eke daily bread from driving Maruwa and Okada into unemployment.

It is in this wise that the demand for reversal becomes an immediate demand. We condemn the bloody repression of protesters who are rejecting ban, mainly Okada and Maruwa drivers in different parts of Lagos State.

We call for arrest  and prosecution of police officers who opened live gunfire on protesters at Ijora in particular.

We are aghast at the argument of Lagos State Government that it has purchased 65 new buses as palliative. It begs reason to assume that a mere 65 new buses will cater for the huge population of Lagosians, battling to get to their destinations daily.

The result is already everywhere to see. Thousands of Lagosians were stranded at different bus stops as the ban on Okada and Maruwa bites harder. They became prey to Shylock bus drivers who doubled their fares to milk hapless Lagosians.

We call on Lagosians, who are bearing the brunt of the ban to join the struggle against the ban. We call for sustained daily mass actions across different parts of Lagos State until the demand of reversal is won.

We call for formation of Action and Defence Committees to coordinate mass actions, defend the barricades and help  injured protesters to receive urgent medical care.

We are quick to warn the Lagos State Government to desist from utilising ethnic profiling in alleging that Okada or Maruwa drivers from the Northern part of the country are responsible for insecurity.

We are of the view that the action of Lagos State Government in imposing ban is deepening a social  base for terrorism. We have on our hands "Boko Haram", may we not have on our hands a "Boko Lagos".

OGUNLANA ADESINA ADEMOLA
Chairman, Radical Agenda Movement in the Nigerian Bar Association and presidential aspirant in the 2020 NBA Elections

AYO ADEMILUYI
Secretary, Radical Agenda Movement in the Nigerian Bar Association