The Deputy Governor of
Lagos State, Obafemi
Hamzat, has revealed that
motorcycles and tricycles
popularly known as ‘Okada and
Keke’, are being used to transport
drugs to schools in the state.
Mr. Hamzat who was a guest on a
Television programme, clarified the
recent ban on Okada’s and Keke’s by
the state government.
He explained that there has been
an existing law on the operations
of the transport scheme since 2012,
stating that the regulation was re-
viewed in 2018.
The Deputy Governor maintained
that according to reports from the 27
general hospitals in the state, an aver-
age of 28 deaths related to motorcycles
were recorded on an average every
month.
“We have 27 general hospitals in La-
gos, on the average monthly, 28 deaths
related to motorcycles are recorded.
“The issue of crime, we now found
out that the tricycle and motorcycles
are now the vehicles for transporting
drugs to our schools; so the security
of lives, the prosperity of our children
cannot just be ignored.
“We cannot as a state government,
see this data and say that it is not im-
portant. The essence is to make sure
that everybody that resides in Lagos is
secure,” he stressed.
Mr. Hamzat reiterated earlier posi-
tions of the state government that the
move to ban Okada and Keke is not to
punish or restrict people from doing
any job.
“The essence is not to punish any-
body, or to restrict people from doing
any job but you have to be alive before
you can make money.
“The reality is people are dying, the
security of our children is being com-
promised, so Lagos government
must act and that is what we are do-
ing,” he maintained.
