Poised to ensure the safety and security of passengers patronizing commercial motorcycle operators, popularly known as Okada, the Bonny Local Government has asserted that the Okada riders must all be profiled and adhere to safety regulations.

The Head of Operations of the Bonny Local Government Enforcement Team, Stanley Dike told Kristina Television on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 that this became necessary as schools were about to resume for the 2023/2024 academic session.

“We are only out to carry out the government directive to make sure that every bike in the island is profiled. For instance, that’s how their vests are supposed to be with their number boldly written. If the bikes are not identified, it will be very difficult to locate any bike that have an issue.”

“We are starting early to carry out this awareness and this awareness is going to continue throughout to make sure we assure safety in the kingdom, we also assure safety in the Local Government.”

“This is what we are doing now, awareness has started; you can see my men all around, what we are doing now is to create awareness for them because schools will soon resume.”

“So, the idea is that Bonny Local Government means well for the public, also means well for the okada rider and the bike owners. If we don’t follow this thing like this, we may not know the danger ahead; that’s why we started early.”

He said his team had received several complaints of unwholesome activities and lack of adherence to safety regulations by the Okada operators, thus had to strengthen its enforcement efforts.

“For instance, public is complaining of missing items from a bike man, of accident from bike person. But in a situation where you profile them, they have their accurate numbers approved by government, it is very easy to locate that bike.”

“Now, if a client needed a bike to convey their child to school, it is very easy to know that so and so bike and the number is taking so and so person to so and so school. So that if anything occurs in the process, we can be able to locate that bike.”

According to Dike, Okada operators who do not have the required reflective vest and helmet and not profiled would be barred from operating as well as pay a prescribed fine, informing that the motorcycle section of the National Union of Road Transport Workers had so far registered 1,500 bikes.

“Where the bikemen don’t have the proper vest and helmet and all of that, the punishment for it is that they will pay the levy and they are not allowed to operate on the island.”

“This is because the total number that were registered is 1,500 bikes and only those are permitted by the Bonny Local Government to operate.”

He advised those have purchased new motorbikes to approach the NURTW for registration and profiling, stressing that the government was definite about ensuring that all operators are profiled and safety is assured on road in the area.