*File Photo okada riders
By James Ogunnaike
ABEOKUTA—THE Ogun State government, yesterday, declared that it does not have the capacity to accommodate commercial motorcyclists popularly called Okada riders, whose operations were recently restricted by the Lagos State government.
The state government, in a statement by Mr. Remmy Hazzan, the Special Adviser on Public Communications to Governor Dapo Abiodun, said nobody has been authorised to speak on the issue on its behalf.
The Chairman Caretaker Committee on Transportation in the State, Mr. Femi Adeniyi, was reported to have assured the motorcyclists, who have been relocating to the State following the ban placed on them, of adequate accommodation.
But Hazzan said Ogun State does not have the capacity to cope with the menace and security challenges the influx of the Okada operators from Lagos and any other neighbouring state would pose.
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Hazzan noted that okada operation is fraught with many challenges, including that of security, which is the reason their operations have either been totally banned or restricted in many parts of the country.
He said that deploying motorcycles for commercial operation is not in the schedule of the National Transportation policy.
, adding that the Ogun State government is already looking into the issue with a view to coming out with a clear policy direction.
The special adviser noted that although its doors are open, it is only for genuine businessmen and foreign investors to take advantage of the proximity of the Gateway State to the nation’s commercial and biggest market.
The statement reads: “As the state with the largest industrial base, Ogun State will continue to welcome more investors.
“The present administration, in its determination to further enhance the status of the state as the most industrialised, has put in place policies that would attract more businesses home and abroad.
“Governor Dapo Abiodun has been meeting with potential investors in the country and even travelled abroad in his efforts to attract more investors into the state.”