Sanwo-Olu Banned Okada, Keke To Help Lagosians – Rotimi Amaechi

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has come out to say that he fully understands why Babajide Sanwo-Olu banned commercial motorcycles in his state.

Rotimi, who governed oil-rich Rivers from 2007 to 2015 said he battled an identical issue when he was governor.

According to him, at some point, okadas, especially, were used to rob and kidnap people in the state and they could not be arrested because the security agencies chasing them were using cars.

He added that he had to take the step to ban them completely for peace to reign in his state.

His words, “Speaking as a former governor, when I was in Rivers State, they were using motorcycles to rob and kidnap people; and the police could never get them because they were using cars; so I banned motorcycles and we had peace. The number of accidents was also high – the orthopedic hospital was full every day.”

“I don’t know the reason why the governor of Lagos state banned it; only he can tell you. I am sure he made his decision based on the interests of a majority of Lagosians. But he has a problem to face, which is unemployment and increase in crime,”

“Implementation of transport policy is essentially a state affair. So you can’t be telling a state whether they want ‘okada’ or tricycles or not. That’s not our responsibility. It is for the state government to decide what to do.”

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Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (born 27 May 1965) is a Nigerian politician who served as the fifth Governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and serves currently as the Nigerian Minister for Transportation.

He was re-elected for a second term on 26 April 2011. Amaechi was a member of the People’s Democratic Party before defecting to the All Progressives Congress on 27 November 2013. He is now a serving Federal Minister of Transportation. He is also the director general of Buhari reelection campaign. He was nominated for ministerial appointment by president Buhari in July 2019. Amaechi was ask to take a bow and go during his screening by the Senate. He was sworn in as Minister for Transport of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Amaechi was born in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State to the family of late Elder Fidelis Amaechi and Mrs Mary Amaechi. His first and last names are Ikwerre meaning “God is strength or power” and “who knows tomorrow” respectively. He was raised in Diobu, a densely populated neighbourhood in Port Harcourt, and had his early education at St Theresa’s Primary School from 1970 to 1976. He earned his West African Senior School Certificate in 1982 after attending Government Secondary School Okolobiri.