 Four more local government areas and six local council development areas have been added to the ban placed on the operations of commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada in Lagos State. The Commissioner for Transportation Frederick Oladeinde hinted during a press briefing on Phase 2 of the total ban on motorcycle operations in the state. Plus the new correspondent, Lovie Kokoyedoko reports. It all began three months ago. Operations of commercial motorcycles were restricted in six local governments and nine local council development areas in Lagos. According to the government, the movists who curtailed growing men and security threats posed by some of the riders. Four more local government areas and six local council development areas have now been added to the ban list effective from September 1. Based on the apparent positive impact of the ban and the resolution of the Stakeholder Forum, Mr. Governor has approved the ban of Okada in another four local government areas and six LCDAs for the second phase of the total ban, in addition to the ongoing ban in the sixth local government and their respective LCDAs. These local governments and their respective LCDAs are as follows. Number one, Koshifere local government with the following LCDAs equals Isheri LCDAs and Agui K2 LCDAs. Number two, Oshide solo local government with Isolo LCDAs and Ajibo LCDAs. Number three, Shogunu local government with Paraguay LCDAs and number four, Mushi local government with Udi Unu LCDAs. The commissioner advised residents to make use of alternative means of transportation to go about via daily activities. He enjoined residents to access government's existing interventions aimed at empowering them. In the state of the administration, we started the reform of the bus scheme so that people can actually ride our buses with clean suits and still come out with clean suits, etc. We have upgraded the water transport mode. There are more boats on our waters. Mr. Governor has invested in 16 terminals, etc. We are wrapping up the rail project in the bid to ensure that we give people alternative. Now, Canada riders themselves, they have a right to join these effects in my last my lecture. The buses as owners, they come together as a member of a company, they can go in there and apply to own the buses and the buses will be given to their own instrumental basis that they will be paying. So it is a system that is very easy for them to join and in actual part, some of them are hopeful to say that they would like to join and no matter what it is to ensure that they are part of the scheme. Security agents and other law enforcement formations within the state have been put on alert to enforce the fresh ban. We are now being joined now by Public Affairs Analyst Mr. Adenie Kono. Mr. Kono, good evening to you. Thank you for joining us on news now. Now what do you make of government's decision to have a total ban of the popularly known motorcycle riders in Lagos, the government has given instances of threats to security in the state of perceived nuisance by the riders and of course we know that some residents have also raised alarm over the operations of commercial motorcyclists. What do you make of it? I think in my candid opinion it's actually a cosmetic approach to providing solution. When the first ban was made possible, made the 18th of this month, for the first couple of days we saw police men all around Lagos, even in some areas that were not mentioned. They prevented motorcycles from either driving in the highways and the enthusiasm with which that was met just abated and fizzled out and we appear to have them back on a major highways stronger than ever before. Do not forget that there is an economy for importers where we talk about motorcycles and you cannot really prevent people from wanting to move from point A to point B and you also cannot prevent people from creating a corner for themselves. So whatever it is the government is doing with money in there should be really looked at because the same government is a collector of all the monies, mainly all the monies across the local government that have been mentioned regarding more or less the ticket to get every money. So I want to say that the best thing for the government to do is to actually look at more holistic ways of dealing with this issue. The first of that would be harnessing the water potential of Lagos and provide very effectively water transportation and crossing roads and crannies over waterways and building more jettings. Once you do not make occurred riding attractive to those that patronize them, it makes life better. The Netherlands is two feet below sea level, they do more of bicycles if you've been to Amsterdam apart from other places. It means therefore that the country, particularly the state, must leverage its potential. Water covers more parts of Lagos than the land space and the Lagos government in its overall about 53-54 years of existence as a state has not been able to evolve that and I think it's something which we look into. So whatever it is they've done before, for instance, have had to drive extra carefully going on the Lagos-Balangra Expressway, even some parts of other areas, even the Shumori-Barega areas, the post-offer areas, because they're everywhere. Do not forget that apart from being in transportation, the people that are doing it really believe they could make quick money just actually to take care of their family. So it means therefore that what is Lagos doing, apart from banning, to prevent people from getting into criminal acts if they are prevented from riding these motorbikes. The reason why the state government has decided for it to be banned is because we seem to have an incremental, you know, incremental incidences of crimes committed by those who ride on bikes and the Lagos-Balangra government on the one hand is justified to do that, but on the other hand, what about the fact that they are disempowering people? Don't forget that there was an op-ro about three weeks ago where the lawmakers at the federal level actually agreed that the federal government cannot ban the use of motorbikes across the country. It is an economy that empowers the state one way or the other, but in disempowering people, what are the alternatives we've created? So this is a very complex conversation where the state government makes use of a high-handedness, justifiably true because it takes responsibility for insecurity, but on the other hand, we may have more crimes on our hands if there is no alternative of doing this. And I think that the Lagos-Balangra must be open. It's game to deal with these issues, please. I think I agree with you at this point where many say that it's like throwing the bathwater and the baby away because in dealing with issues like this, those who are in the hinterland or places where, you know, it's not very motorable. I want to say the Okada riders are the best for them at this point. So what do you think the government should have put in place? In the first place, what makes Okada riding attractive? It's that the solution. Let's do some economics now. When value is provided and the value provided is optimal, the patronage for such value is of the best and in its longest. Okada has been able to provide value for people who have worked all day and want to get to their families in good time. Let us check the road infrastructure. The Lagos-Balangra road has been under construction since Fashala and Amboni has come and gone. Fashala used eight years and Amboni used four, 12. Amboni is going to use another four. So that's going to be about 16 years. Where a road that should be less than about maybe, it's a 60 kilometers per hour, maybe it's in excess of 120 kilometers, has been left unattended for the past 16 years. The harrowing experiences of those that are commuted from Ma'al Tzu or maybe from Malapa Suru, all the way to Badagori, could not be documented. It therefore means that when you as government as demonstrated, you know, ideably capacity to deliver on your terms of reference, which of course forms road infrastructure, water and many other social needful, then the people have to find a way around it. And if it's where to be in a country where people are really civilized, they would have taken the government to court and won fair and square because taxpayers' money goes into most of the works being done. But on your round, you've not been able to provide that. And people have decided to take their destinies in their hands. Very well, it is dangerous because you're exposed if there's any collision and any accident motorcycle could actually make somebody become a disabled person, lose a limb or so. I agree in principle. But at the same time, when people take office, they have terms of reference. And the terms of reference should be priority. Over the course of the time that the federal government has not been able to, the state government has not been able to do is part of this room because let's just leave the federal government alone. If over the years, the state government has not been able to fix that, perhaps in the area of collaborating with the federal government to solve the problem of infrastructure, how then do you expect people, you don't expect people to fold their arms? For instance, we'll talk about employment, which of course is some of the things that we feel the government should have answers to. If government doesn't have room for people to get employed, if electricity is not available for people to have private businesses, yet government takes people to the cleaners to collect taxes or increase it, then when the people revolt, they say that it is a subordination of lawlessness. So government should have a human face in this kind of situation where it understands that we have not done the best we could for those people, let us think. Now, September the 1st is less than two weeks ago. What I think government should have done is to tell them that these are blueprints, one, two, three, four, five, for you to stop or color-riding between now and December of 2022, by the first week, maybe after people have digested their Christmas or New Year's rice or food, maybe by the sixth or seventh, we don't want to see any motorbikes on this room, you would have given a very justifiable period of time for you to band in, out-rightly, and take punitive action. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Mr. Kunu. Thank you so much because of our time, but I must say thank you for your comments. And of course, I do understand that the government is working with stakeholders in that sector to see that they are empowered. We hope that the ban would make sense for the state. We also want to see that plan out in public domain, so that people like us can talk about it, that government has provided alternative in the balancing of conversation. Thank you. That's right. Thank you so much and have a pleasant night.