The continued menace of commercial motorcyclists, also known as Okada has been blamed on lack of stringent laws that reflect the reality of the day.
This was even as the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) renewed collaboration with the police and several other security agencies on how to enforce the partial ban and extant route restrictions in some parts of the nation’s capital.
To tackle the issues, FCTA held a consultative and strategy meeting on Tuesday with heads of security agencies and paramilitary organisations, especially those in charge of the areas where the partial ban of Okada subsists.
The director, Directorate of Road Traffic Services ( DRTS), Dr. Abdulateef Bello, said while enforcement against the insecurity and recklessness of the operators of commercial motorcyclists have remained a priority, getting a strong legislative backing was been pursued.
Bello noted that when Abuja’s transportation master plan was designed, Okada operation was not contemplated, and therefore has no laws, with stringent punitive measures to deter violators.
He lamented that a situation where an offending okada operator is arrested and taken to court, but tried and fined a paltry sum of N200 or N500, was discouraging.
The director, FCTA Security Services, Adamu Gwari, noted that reviewing transportation laws in Abuja has become very expedient in order to seamlessly carry out enforcement that will restore all round sanity.
