John Mahama
The ‘okada campaign’ rhetoric by former President John Mahama as he seeks the support of the disguised unemployed youth has triggered a heated political debate.
Many have doubted the sincerity of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer as he flaunts a carrot in front of the youth, most of whom have turned to the commercial motorcycle commuter service in the streets of Accra to earn their living.
He flew his ‘okada campaign’ last week in the Volta Region and since then there has been a lot of talk about the quality and sincerity of the proposal.
The former President’s dislike for one of the interventions to address graduate unemployment, the NABCO programme, came up as he flew the ‘okada’ flag rating it higher than NABCO.
Okada Game
“This is a service that has come to stay. Whether you legalize it or not you cannot stop it and so why behave like the ostrich and bury your head in the sand? These ‘pragyas’, ‘Aboboyaa’, ‘okadas’ have created more jobs in this economy than the job-related policy of any government. It has created more jobs than NABCO, YEA, and all those artificial job creation programmes,” he claimed.
“We will regulate it and we will give them training so that they can do their business safely without costing the lives of people; they must obey all the traffic regulations in order that they be allowed to pursue their profession,” he pointed out.
The Law
Those following the conversation and even partaking in it could not help but recall how in 2012 an NDC dominated Parliament passed The Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (Legislative Instrument 2180, Sections 128 (1), (2) and (3) of the L.I. 2180,) outlawing the use of motorcycles for commercial purposes or ‘okada’ as they are called.
In March 2019, members of the Minority in Parliament called for the amendment of the country’s road traffic laws to accommodate the ‘okada’ business, a startling departure from their previous position.
GMA Objection
Early this year, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) called on government to ban the activities of commercial motor riders.
According to the association, it will reduce the overwhelming casualties they are receiving at the accident unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in particular.
Dr. Frederick Kwarteng, the Head of the Accident, Emergency and Orthopaedic Department, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, speaking on the issue, said, “Until the government implements policies to regulate the use of motorbikes, especially for commercial purposes, it should ban their operations to save lives. This is what we want,” he said.
Continuing, he said “it is causing the victims to lose their lives, legs and arms, brains, wealth and entire social life.”
According to him, if law enforcement agencies are unable to enforce traffic regulations, ‘okada’ riders should be banned entirely as their accident cases were as a result of recklessness and disrespect for road traffic regulations.
NDC MP Support
The Minority Ranking Member for Parliament’s Roads and Transport Committee, Governs Kwame Agbodza, remarked on ‘Citi FM’ that the ‘okada’ business was ‘useful’ than NABCO.
He said, “Legalizing ‘okada’ will be useful than even NABCO, because these people can create jobs within their locality. They don’t need to move from their locality to anywhere…. When we do this, the teacher or nurse taking ‘okada’ to school doesn’t feel he’s breaking the laws any longer. I think the former President is in tune with the realities of the times. I will be happy to see this become a law to make ‘okada’ a safe and profitable business.”
Votes Antics
The Chairman of Parliament’s Roads and Transport Committee, also the Member of Parliament for the Ayensuano Constituency in the Eastern Region, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, reacting to the issue, accused the NDC of acting ‘hypocritically’ in their promise to legalize the commercial use of motorcycles.
He said the NDC was in power when LI 2180 was passed, banning the commercial use of motorcycles thus its sudden U-turn can only be interpreted as an attempt to ‘lure’ the ‘okada’ riders to vote for it.
“That law was passed by the NDC in 2012 in Parliament, so what are the party members telling Ghanaians today? That when they come, they will change the law and legalize ‘okada’ simply because they want those ‘okada’ riders to vote for them? If they think that the ‘okada’ is something that has come to stay and they want to legalize it, they need not ask the ‘okada’ people to vote for them before they legalize it,” he added.
Ambrose Fire
The Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, on his part, questioned the appropriateness of former President Mahama’s promise to legalize ‘okada’.
He said the government might consider regularizing it if all necessary legal frameworks are done and it is found that the operations of the riders contribute to the public good.
Mr. Dery said the manner in which ‘okada’ riders currently operate in the country is not the best.
“John Mahama was president before and ‘okada’ was with us. He didn’t do anything about it. ‘Okada’ riders are not above the law. We have traffic lights but when others stop, they pass. So we need to allow them to operate, but if we do, they have to operate within the law,” he added.
By Daniel Bampoe