Aside from curtailing crimes in Lagos,here are other reasons Sanwo-Olu banned Okada

Okada, according to Lagos government, was banned because people are no longer interested in tailoring, bricklaying, and other vocations.

Feeding answers to possible questions in the minds of Lagosians, the Sanwo-Olu-led administration stated that Okada is not part of his Greater Lagos vision.

The government lamented that youths are no longer interested in trades like tailoring, bricklaying, printing, painting and others.

“Now we get artisans from neighbouring countries. Okada is not an enduring trade,” the government stated.

On why it didn’t allow the alternatives to come before sacking the motorcyclists, the Sanwo-Olu administration added, “The picture is horrible, bloody and scary. The government will not stand by and watch this bloody encounters to continue. Besides, the security of lives of Lagosians are of paramount interest to the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration. This is why it is moving to stop this fast slide into lawlessness.“

The government, however, boasted of programmes that have been put in place already to keep the labour market running.

It stated, “The government has programmes for the unemployed. The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund ( LSETF), is very active, helping many to set up their businesses with cheap funds.

“The Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) has also been doing so much training young women in various trades and giving them some money to set up. Civic Engagement has empowered many to start small scale businesses.”

Allaying fears of possible increase in crime, the government added, “Okada has been used by criminals to rob and terrorise innocent citizens. Police figures are scary. When it was banned in Kano and Edo, for instance, crime rates dropped. The law enforcement agencies are ready to fix anybody who wants to take to crime because he has lost his Okada job.”

Recall that on Monday, January 27, 2020, the Lagos government announced a ban on the activities of Okada and Keke Napeps in some Local Government Areas like Apapa, Lagos Mainland, Surulere, Eti Osa, Lagos Island, Ikeja effective from February 1, 2020.

This also affects Gokada, Oride and other ride hailing companies.