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At a time when most states are slamming bans on commercial motorcycles(Okada), over safety and security concerns, a move was made in Ibadan on Monday to reorientate the Okada riders.
At the workshop organised by Ademola Oluyomi Alalade, a project management consultant on Monday, a lot of issues affecting the riders were discussed.
The workshop was organised at the Nigeria Television Authourity(NTA) complex, Agodi-Gate, Ibadan. Present at the event were former General Manager of NTA Ibadan, Mrs. Grace Alomoge and Ademola Okunneye, a representative of the Zonal Director-General.
One of the resource persons at the workshop, Mr. Niyi Adeoti, mentioned that atop the riders’ excesses is over-speeding, usually occasioned by substance abuse and craze for money.
He gave them tips on how to take care of their health, avoid plying the road when angry and emotionally disturbed, maintain their motorcycles and obey traffic laws.
On why he organised the workshop, Alalade, said that the lack of safety measures by the riders on the road worry him a lot.
Speaking to journalists after the event, he said: “Okada riders are quite useful in our transport system but the problem is the danger associated with them. These dangers can however be averted if they observe simple safety rules like not overspeeding, maintaining their motorcycles and wearing protective clothings. That is why I started this campaign”.
Alalade distributed reflective jackets to the okada riders and urged them to put what they learnt at the workshop into practice.