A group, For a Better Lagos, has begun a campaign in support of the move by the Lagos State Government to phase out the use of yellow buses, popularly called Danfo, and commercial motorcycle, popularly called Okada.
The group equally urged the State Government to include tricycles, known as Keke NAPEP and Marwa, in the ban.
In a statement on Wednesday, the group said the move by the State Government to ban the use of Danfo and Okada was in the right direction as both forms of transportation have not only become a nightmare to the people, but also unbefitting for a mega city like Lagos.
The statement, signed by the Chairman of the group, Wale Mogaji, said the conduct of the operators of these forms of transportation have not only left many dead and injured, but also contributed to the crime rate in the state.
The statement said: “Owing to the carelessness, unbecoming attitude, drunkenness of the operators of Danfo and Okada especially, many have lost their lives and are incapacitated in needless accidents, with several vehicles damaged by them in their usually ‘I-don’t-care’ attitude.”
Mogaji said several residents of the ever growing State have also fallen victims of the operators of these forms of transportation, with their involvement in robbery and kidnapping.
The statement added: “But for the restriction of the operation of okada and danfo on some routes by the State Government, the rate of crime in the state would have been unprecedented.
“It can better be imagined if okada operators are still allowed to operate freely in the state what the crime rate will be like.”
The For a Better Lagos said with the State Government and the Federal Government improving daily on the means of transportation around the town, the time to phase out these forms of transportation had come.
The group equally urged Lagosians who are on daily basis victims of the operators of these forms of transportation to begin to speak out in order to ginger the State Government to move more quickly to provide more of the alternative forms of transportation and ban the operators.
It said for this purpose, it has created two hash tags: #StopLagosDanfoandOkada, #LagosDanfoandOkadaMustGo, for sharing their experiences and has also opened a Facebook page: Lagos Danfo and Okada, and a Twitter handle: Lagos Danfo & Okada.
It encouraged Lagosians to share their experiences in words and photographs on these platforms to show the State Government reasons why it must speed up the acquisition of more buses for its BRT operations and expansion of routes and move quickly to make its proposed light rail functional.
The group said the expansion of, repairs of damaged and construction of new roads, including those that belong to the Federal Government by the State Government, was a move in the right direction, adding that by the time bigger buses become operational all over the State, commuting will be a more pleasant experience.
