Okada riders respond to Bawumia

The Motor Riders Association of Ghana are kicking against the NPP government's refusal to legalize the commercial use of motorcycles in the country.

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said the Akufo-Addo led government will not succumb to the pressure to legalize okada activities. 

Dr Bawumia said government will rather the riders “ graduate from this risky Okada riding to a safer means of transportation" by leasing vehicles to them.

However, the National Chairman of the Motor Riders Association, Fatawu Ali noted that, far from what the Vice president is saying, what they need now is safety regulations and not to divert into driving instead of riding the ‘okada.’

 “The youth have already involved themselves so we are expecting regulations on it.

Okada picks just one passenger but look at the accidents that happened on our roads recently, how many people died?” he said as quoted by 'adomonline.com'

He added that “we are ‘okada’ riders. We are not drivers so if they will give us a car, when are we going to learn to drive? Even if you are driving, still you are in danger. How many of us can get a car because we are thousands across the nation?

“We don’t agree to that. We like the ‘okada’ because even residents in the Vice President’s village are using ‘okada.’ We need to find a safety solution instead of the car.

“Most of us are already in the ‘okada’ business