The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Frederic Oladeinde, has said that the state is banning Keke and Okada because they are not in the state’s transportation master plan.
He made the declaration in a telephone interview with a PUNCH correspondent, noting that Lagos as a smart city would require an integrated system consisting of road, water and rail.
He said, “The Okada is not something in our master plan. A smart city like Lagos involves an integrated public transport system that consists of rail, water transport and buses.
“Obviously, we will continue to optimise our road network for more usage and that’s the future of Lagos State.”
Oladeinde explained that the state was considering space as well as security as part of its reason to stop the two-wheel and three-wheel modes of transport.
He said, “We are conscious of the environment and we are also security conscious. We want to move our people securely from one point to another.
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“Keke Napep and Okada are not the best way to do that. When you have more space, then we can consider that. But in a small place like Lagos, that’s a lot of planning.”
The commissioner also noted that there had been a challenge in enforcement on the roads due to the aftermath of the protests on police brutality. He stressed that the government would continue to utilise technology in enhancing road transport.
He said, “The future for transport is great. There has been a lot of pressure on the road and enforcement has been a challenge especially with the aftermath of the #EndSARS.
“I think we are dealing with the one-way traffic violators. There is a squad now that is doing so. We are also going to deploy handheld technology for people that break traffic laws whereby you get a ticket at home instead of arrests on the road that will create more congestion.”
He added that the last-mile buses which would replace Okadas and Kekes were also on course to be launched.
