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Mixed Reactions Trail Okada Business In Lagos
Millions of residents of Lagos State ride on either private or commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, to their places of work on daily basis thus making it another common means of transportation.
It has indeed become an integral part of many because of its uniqueness in a city-state characterised by traffic snarl or ‘go slow’ fondly caused by visible and invisible reasons such as impatience on the part of drivers, bad roads, and autocrash on the major roads.
The Tide source sought reactions of the residents of Lagos State to the ‘menaces and merits of Okada business in Lagos’ and their comments and remarks were an admixture of sweet and sorrow.
Mr Boluwaji Olaiya, a resident of Ibafo in Ogun who works in the Gbagada Area of Lagos State said that he was fond of riding Okada from Ibafo to Berger, the boundary between Lagos and Ogun, so as to avoid the gridlock along that axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway during the working days of the week.
Olaiya said that in less than 30 minutes, he was always at Berger Bus Stop and that used to save him a lot of time, tear and wear as well as the stress passengers who boarded public uses usually encountered during ‘go slow’ on the express.
“ When the long bridge axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressroad was under construction, there were some of us that riding on Okada was the only means of getting to Lagos from Ibafo and its environs. The rider then was charging us N500.00 per passenger and he would transport two of us down on each trip.”
Also, Mr Dele Aboyeji, a building contractor living in Papa Asese area of Ogun and who has his office in the Surulere area of Lagos State said that on occasions when there were gridlock on the Lagos- Ibadan Expressway, Okada used to be his ‘saviour.
“I would mount it from Berger to Warewa in Ogun while returning home in the evening or going to work in the morning.
“There were times then that most passengers caught up in the traffic were robbed. That was a nasty experience which nobody will want to pray for,” Aboyeji said.
To Mr Oye Luquman, Okada is a thriving business and many able young men ride it as a means of livelihood and are today their families’ breadwinners. He added that its introduction as a means of transportation had helped in reducing unemployment in Lagos State.
He added that politicians always give out motorcycles to youths during political campaigns meaning that it had come to stay as part of the society’s means of making ends meet
According to Luquman, just as the youth use it for commercial purposes so also the elderly use it to transport their produce from the rural areas to the Expressway where they would find buyers for them.
Taiwo said that any motorcycle that is not registered would be confiscated by the command, adding that the command would meet the union leaders of the okada riders before enforcing all these directives.
Also speaking to NAN, the Chairman Ikorodu Local Government(LG), Mr Wasiu Adesina, said that the menace of commercial motorcycle was becoming a nightmare to the residents of Lagos and its numerical strength becoming more frightening as well as serving as a security risk to residents.
Adesina said due to the increase in insecurity, the local government leadership had to rejig its security architecture by initiating a joint taskforce and providing patrol vehicles for surveillance to ease movements of security personnel in all the communities within the LG.
Adesina said that the council had to also establish a taskforce during his first tenure to restrict the movements of motorcycles since he realised that most crimes were being perpetrated with the use of motorcycles for easy escape.
“ The taskforce was initiated to restrict motorcycle from some parks and routes but the outbreak of COVID–19 pandemic in 2020 and the subsequent challenges after easing the lockdown affected the work of the taskforce.
“They stopped work and later continue, so our work in curbing the menace is still ongoing,” he said.
However, sometime last year , the Lagos State Government announced some specified roads where it said that commercial motorcyclists were restricted from plying and warned that erring defaulters would be dealt with, he said. He urged the relevant security agencies to enforce thd rule.
The council boss said that the directive had led to some of them finding alternative routes and took solace in deploying their business in the rural areas of the state.
“We are still doing our work, we hold security meetings regularly to discuss security matters which include the menace caused by the influx of motorcycle into our local council area.
“We also discuss the way forward out of the crisis and come up with resolutions which I have been enforcing as the chairman to ensure that my people can sleep with their two eyes closed.
According to the chairman, the LG is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring safety of lives and properties, so we will not rest until Ikorodu is safe for investors and residents.
Also Mr Sesan Oduolowu, Chairman, Sheriff Community Development Association (CDA ) in Ikorodu, said that it had come to the knowledge of the residents that motorcycle was the common instrument used by criminals to escape after attacking innocent citizens.
Oduolowu said in this regard, most CDA chairmen had agreed to ensure that Okadas were not allowed to enter any community after 8.00 p.m. adding that some even made theirs 7.00p.m.
He said that they had jointly agreed that the communities should ensure that they handled the security of their various communities by themselves by hiring private guards to secure them.
“We hold our meetings every month and have agreed to engage ourselves on intelligence gathering as well as ensure that commercial motorcyclists are banned from entering the community in the evening time as well as hire private security guards on our own for the safety of our people,” he said.
Mr Owolabi Efunsanya, a resident in the CDA said that the increasing number of motorcycles was as a result of lack of job or unemployment with bad road and incessant traffic jam.
Efunsanya urged government as a major employer of labour to create employment opportunities and enabling environment for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) to thrive to augment available opportunities.
He said that the government should focus more on ensuring that more youths were engaged rather than giving priorities to other sectors , while stressing that a lazy man’s brain is the devil’s workshop.
“Unemployment is a major cause of increase in crime because ‘an empty mind is a devil’s workshop’ if there is job, crime will be reduced.”
An officer with a transport union who pleaded anonymity said that government had a big role to play in checkmating the excesses caused by commercial motorcycle operators.
He said that accidents caused by Okada riders had sent some people to their early graves while some were still suffering from the injuries caused them that had led to the amputation of with their legs or other parts of their bodies.
He urged government to ban the importation of motorcycles into the country completely, saying they had become an important instrument used by hoodlums, bandits and terrorists to commit all sorts of crimes in the country.
Also, some residents of Fagbile Estate, Ijegun, a suburb of Lagos, said that some armed robbers under the guise of Okada riders had formed the habit of frequently attacking the residents of the estate
They told NAN in Lagos that they now live in fear due to the activities of suspected robbers.
They urged the relevant security forces to do all within their powers to crackdown on the motorbike robbers.
Mr Emmanuel Edun said that two robbery attacks occurred in the estate in a single morning alone recently.
According to him, a young lady was robbed of her handbag, containing some valuables along Fagbile Road in the early hours of that unfortunate day.
Edun said that the robbers usually attacked women in lonely corners where they would dispossess them of their cell phones, ATM cards and other valuables.
Another resident, Mr Bartho Philip, said that a young man was recently robbed of his motorcycle in the early hours of the day not long ago in Rotimi Omotosho Street.
According to him, three young men allegedly had been surveying the area with their motorbike apparently in search of their target.
“After ridding about for some time, they stopped at the intersection between Omotosho Street and Amoje Street.
“One of them came down from the bike and brought out what looked like a locally-made gun, pointed it at the owner of the bike, snatched it and took away the bike.
“ While this was going on, one of them started the bike that they came with while the second followed the guy with the gun and they all ride off,” Phillip said.
NAN gathered that the rider of the bike had collected it on higher purchase arrangement from its owner for N650, 000. (NAN)
The Nigerian Air Force has approved a major shake-up of its senior leadership, involving fresh appointments and postings across its operational commands, strategic institutions and Defence Headquarters.
The exercise, approved by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, on November 7, 2026, is aimed at strengthening command effectiveness, enhancing institutional capacity and sustaining operational readiness.
In a statement yesterday, the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the appointments covered Service Headquarters, operational commands, training institutions and other strategic establishments.
The statement partly read, “The NAF has approved a major strategic realignment of its senior leadership through a fresh round of postings and appointments designed to strengthen command effectiveness, enhance institutional capacity and sustain operational readiness in support of national security objectives.
“The exercise, approved by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, on 7 November 2026, takes effect from November 2026.
“The appointments span Service Headquarters, operational commands, Defence Headquarters, training institutions and other strategic establishments, reflecting a deliberate effort to align leadership competencies and professional experience with the Service’s evolving operational and institutional priorities.”
At the NAF Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal AK Ademuwagun was appointed Chief of Transformation and Innovation, while AVM IV Ajiboye became Superintendent of Standards and Evaluation.
Other appointments include AVM PN Amadi as Chief of Air Intelligence; AVM NN Ananaba as Chief of Operations; AVM AH Bakari as Air Provost Marshal; AVM EE Efiom as Chief of Training; and AVM AJ Laoye as Chief of Aircraft Engineering.
The Air Force also appointed AVM NI Ilo as Air Officer Commanding, Tactical Air Command; AVM BR Mamman as AOC, Mobility Command; AVM OS Ogunsina as AOC, Logistics Command; AVM MN Onyebashi as AOC, Special Operations Command; and AVM FCS Nwakara as AOC, Ground Training Command.
At the institutional level, AVM PB Philips was appointed Commandant of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, while AVM MC Ekwueme became Commandant of the Armed Forces Resettlement Centre.
Similarly, AVM AO Akinbunwa was appointed Commandant of the Air Force War College, while AVM OC Ubadike became Commandant of the Air Force Institute of Technology.
Other appointments include AVM AI Sambo as Commandant of the Nigerian Air Force College of Logistics and Management, and AVM M Yusuf as Deputy Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
At the Defence Headquarters, AVM UK Abdullahi was appointed Director of Defence Operations, while AVM EOE Ebiowe was posted to the Office of the National Security Adviser as Deputy Coordinator, National Intelligence.
Also, AVM DDG Pwajok was appointed Director of Technical Services at the Defence Intelligence Agency, while AVM I Sani became Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence.
Other senior officers were posted to various directorates at the Defence Headquarters, including operations, military strategy, cyber operations, civil-military relations, search and rescue, special duties and joint warfare doctrine.
The appointments also affected the Defence Space Administration, where AVM AA Suleh was named Deputy Chief, while AVM OA Oyename and AVM SS Lazarus were appointed Directors of Earth Observation and Launch Vehicles and Space Operations, respectively.
Furthermore, AVM GI Jibia was appointed Deputy Force Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, while AVM JI Ukeh became Commander of the Nigerian Air Defence Corps.
The statement said the exercise was part of efforts to strengthen leadership renewal, institutional accountability and operational effectiveness across the service.
According to the CAS, the professional competence and wealth of experience of the newly appointed officers would advance his command philosophy and strengthen the Air Force’s capacity to deliver decisive airpower effects in support of joint operations and national security objectives.
“All affected officers are expected to assume their new appointments and complete the necessary handover and takeover formalities on or before November 13, 2026,” the statement concluded.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Federal Government to disclose details of the funding, implementation and administration of its N50,000 National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention.
The organisation asked the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, to provide information on beneficiary selection, payments, contracts with digital financial service providers and safeguards against political interference.
SERAP made the demand in a Freedom of Information request dated November 7, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The request followed the ministry’s October 30 announcement of the NERSI programme, which is intended to provide N50,000 in financial assistance to vulnerable Nigerians.
SERAP said important questions remained unanswered about the programme’s total funding, geographical coverage, duration and the methodology for selecting beneficiaries from the National Social Register and verified national identity records.
It urged the minister to disclose budgetary allocations, funds released and expended, eligibility criteria, beneficiary verification processes and the geographical distribution of recipients.
The organisation also asked the ministry to clarify whether the N50,000 assistance was a one-off payment or a monthly intervention, noting that the ministry’s public statement described it as a monthly payment, while a subsequent frequently asked questions document did not clearly specify the frequency or duration.
In the request, SERAP said, “Nigerians have a right to know how public funds allocated to NERSI are being spent, who is receiving the assistance, how beneficiaries are selected and whether the programme is reaching those most in need.”
The organisation raised concerns about possible political interference in the programme, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Publicly funded social assistance must be allocated strictly on the basis of genuine need and objective eligibility criteria. It must not be used to reward political supporters, secure partisan loyalty, finance political mobilisation or influence the electoral choices of vulnerable Nigerians, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections,” it said.
SERAP further insisted that beneficiaries should not be required to attend political rallies, support candidates or display political materials as a condition for receiving the assistance.
“Beneficiaries must not be required or encouraged to attend political rallies, support political parties or candidates, display political materials or demonstrate political loyalty as a condition for receiving assistance. NERSI is a government programme funded with public resources, not a personal gift or political benefit from any office-holder or political party,” the organisation stated.
It also urged the minister to publicly invite the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to monitor the programme’s implementation and expenditure, investigate allegations of corruption and help ensure that funds reach intended beneficiaries.
SERAP expressed concern over reports that some Nigerians who received notifications of the N50,000 assistance had been unable to access or withdraw the funds, while others reportedly received messages indicating that they were ineligible.
“These reports raise questions about the accuracy of beneficiary verification, the reliability of payment arrangements and the effectiveness of mechanisms for resolving failed or disputed payments,” it said.
The organisation urged the ministry to investigate the complaints, publish its findings and ensure that all eligible beneficiaries received the assistance.
It also asked the government to disclose agreements with the digital financial service providers engaged to administer the payments, including ALAT, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint.
SERAP requested details of the providers’ roles, fees and performance, as well as information on how beneficiaries’ personal data would be protected.
“The use of the National Social Register and national identity records to identify beneficiaries must be governed by clear rules and appropriate data-protection safeguards. The Ministry should disclose how these records are being used and ensure that beneficiaries’ personal information is protected, while making anonymised and aggregated information available for public scrutiny,” it said.
The group further asked the ministry to publish anonymised information showing the number of beneficiaries and the amounts paid or scheduled for payment in each state and local government area.
It also sought records of any involvement of political actors in beneficiary selection, payments, access to beneficiary databases and the use of public resources to promote the programme.
To strengthen accountability, SERAP cited concerns raised by the Auditor-General of the Federation in the 2024 Annual Report regarding more than N78.8bn in public funds allegedly diverted or unaccounted for in the administration of social intervention and cash transfer programmes.
It also referred to concerns over N33.751bn in cash transfers made in 2023 for which relevant REMITA records and other supporting documents were reportedly not provided for audit.
“These findings underscore the importance of adequate financial controls, proper record-keeping, independent verification and effective oversight from the outset of the new intervention,” SERAP said.
The organisation said the information requested would enable Nigerians to assess whether the programme was reaching eligible beneficiaries and whether public funds were being properly accounted for.
It added, “Disclosure would also strengthen public confidence in social protection programmes and help ensure that resources intended for vulnerable Nigerians are used for their intended purposes.”
SERAP gave the minister seven days from receipt or publication of the letter to provide the requested information and take the proposed measures.
It warned that it would consider legal action to compel the ministry and other relevant authorities to fulfil their constitutional and statutory obligations if they failed to respond within the stipulated period.
The Presidency has dismissed as misleading claims that President Bola Tinubu borrowed ?120 trillion in just three years while also removing the fuel subsidy.
In a statement posted on X yesterday, Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, described the figures as the product of “Opposition’s propaganda machines.”
He said the claim that 16 past Nigerian leaders borrowed a combined ?46 trillion over 63 years, while Tinubu borrowed ?120 trillion in three years, does not reflect the full picture.
“Opposition’s propaganda machines claim that in 63 years, 16 past Nigerian leaders borrowed ?46 trillion combined, while President Tinubu borrowed ?120 trillion in just 3 years and still removed the fuel subsidy.
“But in reality, the ?46 trillion figure from late 2022 hid ?22.7 trillion in Central Bank ‘Ways and Means’ overdrafts that weren’t officially put on the books until May 2023,” Olusegun stated.
He added that earlier calculations converted foreign debt using an artificial exchange rate of ?448 to $1, when the street value was over ?700.
“When the exchange rate was unified in June 2023, the exact same dollar debt instantly looked ?13.4 trillion larger on paper overnight without a single new dollar being borrowed.”
In actual dollar terms, he said, Nigeria’s public debt rose from $113.4 billion in June 2023 to $120.9 billion by June 2026 — an increase of only $7.5 billion.
On the fuel subsidy, Olusegun noted that its removal had boosted monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee funds shared to states and local governments from ?656 billion in April 2023 to ?2.4 trillion by September 2026.
The claims being rebutted originated from a viral social media graphic that compared cumulative borrowing under previous administrations with the Tinubu government’s record and highlighted the subsidy removal.
Fact-checkers have described the graphic as misleading because the ?46 trillion figure represented outstanding debt at the end of 2022 rather than total borrowing by 16 leaders over 63 years, and because it did not adequately account for exchange-rate effects or the formal recognition of previously off-book obligations.
Nigeria’s total public debt stood at approximately ?87.38 trillion (about $113.4 billion) in June 2023, shortly after Tinubu took office.
By June 2026 it had risen to about ?166.79 trillion ($120.93 billion), according to Debt Management Office figures.
A large part of the naira increase stemmed from the 2023 naira float and the securitisation of Ways and Means advances inherited from the previous administration.
The latest rebuttal comes after Tinubu asked the Senate to approve the implementation of a $7.7bn external borrowing plan to part-finance the 2026 budget deficit.
The request, which translates to about N10.79tn at the budget exchange rate of N1,400 to the dollar, was conveyed in a letter read by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, during Wednesday’s plenary.
The request replaced an earlier approval for $20.52bn and €1.045bn borrowings that the President had asked the Senate and the House of Representatives for a week earlier.
However, opposition parties, including the Nigeria Democratic Congress, criticized the request, citing concerns about the country’s rising debt burden and its implications for future generations.
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