Lagos residents lament as Okada, Keke ban bite harder

Long queues dominated all major bus stops in Lagos state following the ban on motorcycles and tricycles as commuters struggled to get on board the few buses available.

Some of the commuters who were stranded at bus stops early this morning condemned the policy, noting that it is the most insensitive and discriminatory government policy ever implemented in Lagos State.

Other Lagosians also echoed the same sentiment. Gabriel, who was going from Ogba to Opebi, said he regretted voting for Governor Sanwo-Olu. He had been standing in the long, serpentine queue for nearly an hour. Before today, he would have gotten a tricycle some minutes after getting to the bus stop as early as he did.

“As I speak to you now, I’ve been standing here for nearly an hour and I still can’t believe it. Before now, I would be in my office by this time… This governor is really disappointing a lot of people. I am particularly disappointed and wish I never voted for him.”

As the long queues continued to form and the buses became scarcer, the sun came out and made everything even worse. Impatient and tired of waiting under the sweltering sun for buses that might never come, some people resorted to trek to work.

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In the meantime, the Lagos State Government has faced major backlash from different quarters over the ban.

One of those criticising the controversial policy move is the popular social commentator, Dr Joe Abah. Writing on Twitter, he said that it is not surprising that the Lagos decided to go with the least thought-out plan, as typical of most public policies in Nigeria.

“With the Lagos #OkadaBan, we appear, as usual, to have gone for the option that involved the least thought & planning from a public policy perspective. If you are introducing 65 buses & 14 new ferries from tomorrow, introduce them first and watch it work before announcing a ban.”

“Lagosians should get ready for more of these unfortunate transportation realities of this unfortunate situation. The available buses will not be enough to transport everybody and as such, the queues will be longer at bus stops. People will get to work late and exhausted and productivity might be affected.”