Okada is finally taken off the streets of a Nigerian city... Yay. I am not sure how the government of Governor Ikedi Ohakim would manage the crisis that would no doubt arise from this action. How would hundreds, if not thousands of people whose major source of income was from operating these Okadas? How much would it cost to manage and operate 1500 taxis acquired by the state? What long term plans are in place to ensure the continued success of the new initiative? Why were taxis which seat only 4 - 5 people at a time acquired instead of mini-buses if this was to address the mass-transit of people? How would success of the program be measured over time?
The above questions need to be answered by Governor Ikedi Ohakim government. The current decision to acquire these taxis without conducting a proper analysis of Okada as a means of transport and the impact it will have on the residents of the state is a knee jerk reaction by the government.
In my opinion, no proper thought or planning has gone into the proposed solution of acquiring 1500 taxis. Instead, the government of Imo state is not only being reactionary in solving the problem of mass transit but also myopic.
Also the issue of providing adequate transport within the City would no doubt depend of other factors such as condition of roads, cost of fuel, affordability, security, personal safety, licensing and other factors including who would run and operate the service (individuals, state or a corporation partly owned by the government).
Governments should look, look again before they jump otherwise serious social and public development exercises needed by the community would end up like most Nigerian projects where money is thrown at a problem without carefully analysing all possible solutions.
The above questions need to be answered by Governor Ikedi Ohakim government. The current decision to acquire these taxis without conducting a proper analysis of Okada as a means of transport and the impact it will have on the residents of the state is a knee jerk reaction by the government.
In my opinion, no proper thought or planning has gone into the proposed solution of acquiring 1500 taxis. Instead, the government of Imo state is not only being reactionary in solving the problem of mass transit but also myopic.
Also the issue of providing adequate transport within the City would no doubt depend of other factors such as condition of roads, cost of fuel, affordability, security, personal safety, licensing and other factors including who would run and operate the service (individuals, state or a corporation partly owned by the government).
Governments should look, look again before they jump otherwise serious social and public development exercises needed by the community would end up like most Nigerian projects where money is thrown at a problem without carefully analysing all possible solutions.
1 comment:
truth: okadas are a menace on Nigerian roads.
truth: something needs to be done about them.
truth: okada riding is a legitimate means of livelihood for quite a number of people.
why then is it that most governments recognize the first two and ignore the last part? banning okada without making adequate plans for an alternative means of livelihood for the drivers is being short-sighted.
anybody who is studying system dynamics in nigeria should do some research on the okada phenomena
Post a Comment