Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has insisted that there is no going back on the July 1 date for the ban on motorcycle (okada) operation in the capital city of Awka and the commercial hub of Onitsha.

The governor had at the State Executive Council meeting in May announced the ban, saying the action was necessary in order to ensure a more secured state. He urged motorcycle operators to look for alternative means of livelihood before July.

Speaking weekend at the 2018 annual seminar of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council in Awka, Obiano reiterated that the ban will take effect in Awka, Onitsha and their neighbouring towns.

He disclosed that the State Government is already working round the clock to provide more shuttle buses to cover other routes that may be lacking easy access. He advised transporters to take advantage of the opportunity by investing in tricycles and shuttle buses.

Obiano insisted that the ban is in the interest of both residents and citizens of the state even as it would help to address cases of the increased motorbike robbery in many parts of the state in the recent times.

His words: “The State Government has designed a hire purchase arrangement where the motorcycle operators will be provided with tricycles and shuttles and they pay in installments over a period of time in consideration to the plight of Ndi Anambra who may affected by the ban.

“The State Government by August 1 this year would vacate the shanties located opposite the Onitsha Prison as a result of the series of criminal acts reportedly perpetrated there.”

Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the State Traditional Rulers Council and Traditional Ruler of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, said that traditional rulers have a role to play in holding their communities in line of security, peace and development so as to make government job less cumbersome.

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