Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, yesterday, said that the number of accidents and security issues has dropped since the ban on commercial motorcycles popularly known as okada in the state.
Speaking on a Channels Television programme: Sunday Politics, yesterday, the governor said there have been tremendous improvements in the areas that okada have been banned.
He said: “Speaking on the ban on Okada, we have seen tremendous improvement in the areas that okada have been banned. Not only have we seen a drop on issue around security like traffic robberies, we have also seen a significant drop in okada accidents. We don’t see limbs been cut in our hospitals again.
“In terms of death alone, at the peak of the ban, we had 550 okada related accidents on a monthly basis but now, okada related accidents have come down to less than 100.
I also told the RRS that we need to do a lot of pin downs and do pedestrian monitoring, so that people can see them. These are some of the things that we have been doing.”
On the threat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Candidate, Dr Olajide Adediran, the governor said in an emergency it is in the interest of the people to go for experienced person to handle the situation than going for someone who does not know what the issues are.
Arguing that he has the experience to do the needful in Lagos, he said, ‘this is real governance. I have the greatest respect for all the candidates but the governance of Lagos is not a trial and error, you have to hit the ground running.
His words: “If you have an emergency at 3: am, who would you call? What are your chances? Do you call a man that has experience, that has gone through the trenches before, that has lived with it and understand what the issues are and appreciates that challenges you have at that 3:am? Or will you leave your chances to someone that does not know where the dial is or that does not know what the issues of governance are? This is Lagos and we have informed audiences. This is not a tea party. This is a state that is bigger than the economy of Ghana; in itself, it is a country. It is not a circus but a real thing.
I don’t want to disparage anyone because I have the greatest respect for all the candidates that have emerged and the candidate of the particular party you are talking about. How does he start? It is not trial and error; you need to hit the ground from day one. I know all the names of my 65 or so permanent secretaries and I know what their pedigrees are. I believe that we have earned it.”
On steps taken to secure the rail tracks and prevent attacks on the rail line, he said: “We’re installing over 2000 CCTV cameras all around the state to forestall any form of breach in security in Lagos State.
We’re building a new data centre for security. We’re dealing with security issues in Lagos. We are working with the entire security architecture in the State to ensure that the citizens are safe and secure.”
To fight unemployment, the governor said he has trained no fewer than 400,000 people on new skills since he assumed office in 2019.
