Back to Okada debate

By Kofi Akordor
A friend once narrated a traumatic experience he had in one of those terrible traffic jams ravaging Accra. He was being driven to the Kotoka International Airport to catch a flight when he got caught in heavy traffic.
At one stage, he became desperate, as his mind was in turmoil. He knew that unless something miraculous happened, he was definitely going to miss his flight. Then it happened. A motor rider was passing by and without knowing why, he signalled him to stop. The rider obliged and my friend pleaded with him that he was on his way to the airport but, as things stood, he would need his assistance if he was to get to the airport in time to board his flight. The rider did not hesitate and so my friend bid his driver farewell and joined the rider with his suitcase at the back.
If there is anything such as divine intervention, that was one. My friend got to the airport on time to go through departure formalities. The motor rider even politely rejected the monetary ‘thank you’ my friend had offered him but gave my friend his phone number so that they could stay in touch.
In today’s scheme of things, that kind rider would have qualified as an Okada operator and possibly face prosecution for undertaking an illegal operation.
I cannot tell how the Okada business started. Maybe it began on a very low key with a few motorbike owners who wisely thought they could make a living out of the madness on the streets of Accra called traffic jams by ferrying desperate commuters through the jam to their destinations.
And who says the market is not saturated with willing passengers like my friend who can see their business opportunities slipping away as they get trapped in heavy traffic at Mallam, on the Spintex Road or Abeka-Lapaz.
That is how Okada operations has become part of our transportation system.
But, no matter the good purpose Okada serves, it is illegal. The law is quite explicit on that. Section 128, Part IV of the Road Traffic Regulations prevents the use of motorcycles for commercial purposes. The regulations also make the ownership and patronage of commercial motorcycles or tricycles for commercial purposes illegal. As a result, Okada operators occasionally suffer arrest and court fines upon conviction.
On Tuesday, February 1, 2011, the Okada operators decided to make a case for their business and to seek legal recognition. They, therefore, rode in convoy, about 300 of them, to present a petition to Parliament.
The operators, who parade under the umbrella of the Ghana Private Motorbike Operators Union, wanted legal recognition so that they could operate freely without arrest. They made a strong case for recognition because, apart from finding employment for themselves, the Okada system was also serving the travelling public to avoid heavy traffic or go to areas vehicles could not go.
The reception at Parliament House was cordial, as the Majority Leader, Mr Cletus Avoka, and the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery, gave the Okada leadership a good hearing and promised to push their petition to the appropriate quarters for consideration. They also praised them for the orderly manner in which they had organised themselves to the House.
However, the response of some members of the public was not positive for Okada operations. Some perceived Okada operators to be mostly criminals who snatch bags. Others also claimed that the Okada business, if legalised, would add to the chaos on the streets. Some, for environmental purposes, kicked against the Okada business because the bikes would pollute the atmosphere with their fumes.
These are all legitimate concerns. But can we say Okada has no positive sides? In the first place, who says everyone on a motorbike is a criminal? Don’t we have criminals driving some of the most expensive vehicles in town? If we take the case of the fumes, can we say that motorbikes emit more carbon monoxide than the jalopies we are compelled by scarce resources to allow into the country and which are polluting the atmosphere with dark smoke?
For a developing country confronted by many challenges, the best we can do is to look at the positive side of things. Secondly, the best way to manage a situation is to recognise its existence and the good things it can offer. Then we can be in a position to streamline its operations.
It is a fact that many Ghanaians patronise the services of Okada operators, not only in Accra and the big towns but also in the rural areas where roads are very bad or non-existent. We also know that Accra’s traffic problem is partly due to the large number of vehicles on our limited roads. So if there is a way we can reduce reliance on vehicles for intra-city movement, that opportunity must be exploited.
Remaining glued to the past, without relating to current trends and exigencies, will only lead to sabotaging our forward march. The law against the use of motorbikes for commercial purposes was made by man for man. At the time of making that law, it made sense because we had a smaller population, public transportation was not much of a problem and only a few vehicles were on the roads.
Today, the reality is that we have a bigger population and more vehicles are on the same few roads and so very often people get to their appointments very late or never make it. If we are not in the position to build vast flyovers in the city to reduce traffic, we can use our ingenuity to find other ways to solve an endemic problem.
So, as stated earlier, the law was made by man for man and, therefore, the law can be changed by man for the convenience of man. It should be possible to amend the law so that motorbikes that want to operate commercially will have special registration plates and insured appropriately. It should also be possible to organise Okada operators under a recognised body, just as the GPRTU is for commercial vehicles. To further protect patrons, other precautionary measures, such as special uniforms and personal identity tags, will be required of the riders.
As for criminalising Okada operations, the earlier that notion is discarded, the better. There are criminals among taxi drivers who rob their passengers; there are criminals who wear three-piece suits and drive expensive cars; there are criminals in our offices, in our communities. In fact, there are criminals everywhere and it should not be strange to find a few criminals in the Okada business.
But, surely, there are those in the majority who are committed to their job and are saving many on a daily basis the heartache of getting stuck in heavy traffic for hours.
It is for us, as a nation, to accept Okada as part of our transportation system and define the rules that will govern its operation. That is thinking positively.
It is, therefore, reassuring that Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Minister of Transport, has stated that the subject is not closed and that his ministry will consult various stakeholders to discuss the issue. I hope at the end of the day the positive things about Okada will see more light than the negatives to pave the way for legalising it.

fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
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