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Safety Rules: Okada Riders Pledge Compliance
Commercial motorcyclists in Oyo State have pledged to comply with safety and traffic rules associated in their operations.
They spoke at a sensitisation programme organised by the Community Relations Unit of Oyo State Governor’s Office in Ibadan.
According to The Tide source, the commercial motorcyclists agreed to use safety helmets, obtain driver’s licences and refrain from overloading.
Other resolutions included to obtain number plates, visit the hospital first in the case of accidents and rid parks of alcohol and other illicit drugs.
Earlier, the state governor, Ajumobi had called on commercial motorcyclists to embrace the various safety precautions and traffic rules to reduce the incessant traffic crashes and avoidable death involving okada riders.
Ajimobi, who was represented at the forum by Dr Gbade Ojo, his Chief of Staff, said that it was the responsibility of the state government to protect lives and property of residents.
‘‘Government spends huge amount of money at various hospitals on avoidable traffic crashes mostly associated with Okada operations and have lost several of its citizenry to recklessness.
‘‘The state government has no intention of banning Okada operations in the state but would not condone any act of recklessness and disobedience to rules and regulations guiding such operations,’’ he said.
He stated that enforcement of rules and regulations by concerned agencies, which had earned their members sanctions was not wickedness, but an effort to prevent them from hazards associated with their operations.
The governor said that his administration had achieved a lot in the provision of infrastructure.
Alhaji Abidemi Siyanbola, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Community Relations, said that the programme was organised to reduce the avoidable deaths and injuries caused by the recklessness of commercial motorcyclists.
‘‘Okada operations has to a large extent become a menace to the society, considering the needless and avoidable carnage they have inflicted on the society.
‘‘We have noticed that the major problems with the riders is indiscipline and disregard for law and order,’’ he said.
Also speaking, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, the State Commissioner for Health, called on commercial motorcyclists to comply with the various safety rules associated with their operations.
In their submissions, Mr Yusuf Salami and Mr James Opatola, FRSC Sector Commander and Vehicle Licensing Officer , respectively, listed drug abuse, indiscipline and total disregard for law and order as major causes of increase in road traffic crashes.
The State Chairman, Commercial Motorcycle Section of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr Bolaji Olugbade commended the state government for the sensitisation programme.
Olugbade pledged that his members would comply with the resolutions made at the programme.
He, however, appealed to the state government to assist their members in the acquisition of safety helmets.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.