THE OKADA QUESTION

THE OKADA QUESTION

Down Lagos highway, slowing with a swerve and then a turn, meandering through the maze of cars that emit the pulsating combination of carbon monoxide and other extremely harmful chemical compounds into the atmosphere. Then coming to a halt, bouncing fiercely upon the Japanese engineered technology: YAMAHA motorbike, and vibrating with increased crescendo is the sordid ordeal of commuters faced with meeting deadlines and appointments in the traffic infected metropolis: Lagos.
A city bustling with lives, with an estimated population of 8 million people and its strategic geographical location, bordering the coastlines of Nigeria and Africa making it ports a docking extravaganza for business, tourism etc. Lagos has come to be invariably infected by the back aching and head throbbing disease: Traffic congestion. The tales of regular “travelers” of the Lekki axis is a picturesque example of how deep this infection is. As a result of this, various remedies have been proposed and some successfully implemented and the motorbike popularly called “Okada” is one of such remedies that have come to stay, aiding swift movement through daunting bottlenecks on Lagos roads.
This traffic trickster “okada” in recent times has been under the radar of both citizens and government; its menacing approach to delivering quick transportation has given birth to the harm of patronizing commuters. There seems to be no day in Lagos where on okada is it engaged in an accident, making them prey to the ever watchful eyes of the road safety officials.
This problem prompted our government to the establishing of the policy that every okada should have a pair of helmets one for himself and the other for his passenger, invariably eliminating the possibility of having more that two people seated on a motorbike: 1driver and 1passenger.
This policy has not gone down well with some faction of Naija people who would not wear the helmets provided for them - many fear the use of the helmets for spiritual activities, activities I need not go into but we’ve all heard our fair share of tales by moonlight… little wonder many like myself have decided to try other means of transportation “Leggedy Benz” to avoid wearing those helmets.
Another faction of non-helmet believers is adamant to its use because of the hygiene questions it possesses. It hard enough to sit behind a typical Hausa okada man who’s brown hair, whitish face and dark brown over coat which is a testimony to the absence of the use of any cleaning astringents in a very long time. The same would apply to these helmets which may experience the same neglect after a few months of usage putting the heads of unsuspecting commuters in the “Red zone”.
You know those helmets really do add some class to the okada riders and instill trust in the hearts of commuters of this means of transportation, so yes the governments deserves a pat on the back, maybe a hug in the future. The problem here is how you say no to a question whose answer is yes, and how I see good and yet still felt bad about it. This is my okada dilemma to wear or not to wear that is the question.