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The Okada Jockeys Association has reiterated calls for the legalization of the okada business in Ghana with the assurance that its operations would be safer.
Section 128 (1) of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (Legislative Instrument 2180), establishes: “The licensing authority shall not register a motorcycle to carry a passenger who pays the fare.”
But the standard-bearer of the opposition Democratic National Congress, John Mahama, has promised to legally wear the okada should he be re-elected on December 7, 2020.
The promise has sparked endless debate in Ghana.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Okada Motorcycle Association Public Relations Officer Solomon Akpanaba argues that with the necessary training, the number of recorded accidents among motorcyclists will be reduced.
“Even trained and licensed drivers are involved in accidents. Therefore, if motor drivers do not receive any training, they should not be blamed at all. It is not their fault that there are no training schools for motorcyclists. Furthermore, no one has the right to attribute accidents to the okada business. How do you draw the dividing line between commercial and private? ”.
In addition, he defended the legalization and regulation of the okada business.
“Under the regularized systems, the carelessness of some motorcyclists will be reduced because they will belong to unions that will control them. What is regularization about against what some people oppose? Under a regularized system, commercial passengers will differ from private ones. They can be tracked and traced. Undisciplined cyclists can be easily located and arrested. Remember, motorcyclists will also pay taxes, they will also receive proper training and license, ”argued Solomon Akpanaba.
The 2018 National Road Safety Commission report shows that more than 500 people died as a result of motorcycle accidents, fewer than cars recorded.
Describing the operationalization of okada in the country as a “risk business”, Dr. Bawumia announced the alternative proposed by the government of offering new cars to operators on a lease basis so that they can carry out their activities in a much more efficient way. safe.
“You don’t want to finish graduate school and then make a living riding okada. You may have a better option and we will give you a better option. So yes, we will not legalize the okada business in Ghana. It may be a difficult decision, but it is in the interest of Ghanaians. We are having discussions, but we will stand firm in our decision to provide a better alternative for cyclists on the okada. Let them give them the opportunity to buy safer vehicles by leasing and paying over time. It is a better option than the alternative, ”he said.
However, the NDC insists that they have a plan to make operating the okada business safer and more convenient.
— citinewsroom
