Ogun State Government said on Wednesday that its doors were not opened to receive migrant Okada riders, whose operations were recently restricted by the Lagos State Government.
The Chairman, Caretaker Committee on Transportation, Mr. Femi Adeniyi, had on Monday assured the motorcyclists, who were leaving Lagos for Ogun, following the ban slammed on them, of adequate accommodation, provided they would be law- abiding.
But less than 48 hours after the assurance, the government reversed itself, saying it needed only genuine investors and not Okada riders.
A statement by the Special Adviser on Public Communications to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Remmy Hazzan, said nobody has been authorised to speak on the issue on the government’s behalf.
Hazzan noted that Okada operation is replete with many challenges, including that of security, which is the reason their activities have either been totally banned or restricted in many parts of the country.
He 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 will bring.
Hazzan said that the use of motorcycles for commercial transportation 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 state to the nation’s commercial and biggest market.
Hazzan noted that the present administration is desirous of providing gainful employment for the teeming citizens, but with emphasis on agriculture.