Tuesday, 11 May 2021: The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared the deployment of 500 Last-Mile Buses in the state.

According to a statement made available to newsmen by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on News Media, Jubril Gawat, the deployment will be done until the state government provides 5,000 of such buses.

The buses are to serve as an alternative means to get into inner streets as opposed to commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada.

The governor while speaking at a stakeholder meeting on security in Alausa, Ikeja, stated that his administration has made plans to review the 2012 Lagos Traffic Law guiding the operations of motorcycles in the state.

Sanwo-Olu said, “We have noted with dismay, the fact that Okada riders are disregarding and flouting the restrictions, we imposed on their activities in certain areas of the metropolis. In this same vein, we have also observed with dismay the ongoing war between commercial motorcyclists and our law enforcement agencies.”

He explained that this step was taken to safeguard the lives of people, to maintain law and order in Lagos state and to curb the unruly activities of Okada and tricycle operators.

“This propensity for lawlessness is not who we are as Lagosians. The Lagos State Road Traffic Law, enacted in 2012 to safeguard the lives of people and to maintain law and order on our roads, is the legal backbone for the restrictions put in place early last year and designed to curb the Okada menace in the State.

“As part of the restrictions put in place, we banned the activities of Okada and tricycle operators on key roads, highways, and Local Government Areas. Sadly, many Okada and tricycle operators have continued to flagrantly disobey the law and, in some cases, resist enforcement by engaging in organized attacks on law enforcement agencies.”

Sanwo-Olu added that; “A worrying trend has been observed where criminals have found commercial motorcycles as a useful and enabling tool with which to perpetrate heinous crimes, with the motorcycles acting as quick-gateway vehicles.

 “As we all know, no society can make progress amid such haughty display of lawlessness and criminality. Let me reiterate our commitment as a government to the maintenance of law and order in society. Our mission of attaining a Greater Lagos can only be achieved when we all resolve to live in an orderly manner.

“Consequently, and based on all that we have seen and experienced in the past couple of weeks, as well as the increasing threat posed by the activities of commercial motorcycle operators to the safety and security of lives, we will in the coming days be announcing further changes to the parameters of motorcycle and tricycle operations in the state.”