The new Anambra State Chairman of Motorcycle Operators Union of Nigeria, Mr Emeka Onedibe, yesterday , said that the union had begun to profile Okada riders in the State to modernize the system.
Mr Onedibe declared that under his watch commercial motorcycle operation would no longer be business as usual. He vowed to cleans the system of questionable characters.
He, however, disclosed that the real criminal elements could not be found among genuine Okada riders. He said that commercial motorcycle business had become a corporate one in Anambra based on several measures he had adopted.
“You know there has never been a time Okada operators are the perpetrators of crime in society as alleged. Criminals operate with Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV), patrol vans, shuttle buses and some other vehicles. To blame crime perpetration on Okada riders is not fair. We are in full control of our members. True Okada riders have never been involved in any crime.
“There is something we call Okada security which was deeply used during Governor Willie Obiano’s administration. The Governor adopted them as part of the Anambra Vigilance Group (AVG) and they were effective. It worked.
“What we are doing to mark ourselves out for easy identification is what we call security profiling and the idea is in line with the policy of the State in security matters.
“The essence of the profiling is for the members of the public to know who is truly an Okada rider and who is not. This involves issuing identification numbers, overalls and other identities. The State governement is expected to be of immense help those things, “he said.
Onedibe declared that the crisis hitherto rocking the union Nnewi was no more which he noted had made progress possible in the union.
On Okada ban, he said it won’t be easy considering the revenue governement generated from Okada business. He added that another major factor was the fact that Nnewi in Anambra State is a supply base of motorcycles and their spare parts in the entire West Africa.
He said that what the State was rather doing was to modernize Okada business other than closing it.
“All governement does is to make sure that these Okaka riders are properly controlled. They generate revenue and the State can’t afford to lose them, “he noted.
The State Chairman said he recently attended a seminar in Illorin, Kwara State for capacity building organized by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity which experience he said he would replicate at the State as part of the measures to modernize Okada business in Anambra.
He disclosed that the Illorin programme was also attended by the national vice president, South East of the union and the national president operations, all from Anambra State.
“We’ve come back to impact the knowledge to them and in no distant time we will take Okada business to a greater height in Anambra. We will organize same seminars in the State, “he concluded.
