There was confusion at Akyem Akroso in the Eastern Region after the chief, elders, assembly members, and unit committee placed a moratorium on commercial motorbike operation aka Okada effective Tuesday.
The temporal prohibition was a decision taken on Sunday, August 8, 2021, by the Akyem Akroso Traditional Council and other stakeholders.
This, according to them, is to bring sanity into the okada operations following an increasing spate of reckless ridding resulting in rampant knockdowns of pedestrians and fatal crashes.
The prohibition has, however, left many passengers who depend on Okada as means of transport stranded, particularly today being a market day in the community.
Pregnant women and nursing mothers, expected to attend antenatal and postnatal care from their farming communities, were also affected.
Akyem Akroso is one of the enclaves where Okada transportation booms in the Eastern Region largely due to poor roads.
The Chief of Akyem Akroso, Nana Kwabena Ofori II, told Kasapa News, the decision has been necessary to bring sanity, discipline, and law and order among the Okada riders.
He said, majority of the Okada riders operating in the community are underage children while others do not have license neither their motorbikes registered and insured, however, they ride recklessly on the road injuring and killing innocent pedestrians.
“Most of the Okada riders in this community are 12 and 14-year-olds. Their motorbikes are not registered, they don’t have license. Always engaging in hit and run riding. Three days ago since we started prohibiting their operations, they have knocked down four persons in this town so we don’t want any okada at Akroso. We will not allow them to operate to kill us,” he said.
An Assembly member in the community, Eric Fosu Odartey, said the decision has been timely to save lives.
“It is a decision we have taken. There is no discipline among the Okada riders. These children have dropped out of school engaging in Okada.
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“The decision we took on Sunday is to ensure that we use the right channel; if you are not up to the qualified age, you don’t have license, your motorbike is not registered we won’t allow you to operate,” he explained.
Bediako Benjamin, one of the leaders of the Okada riders, said the decision has been embraced, therefore, they were moving round to clamp down on recalcitrant riders who attempt to defy the orders of the traditional council.
He said a meeting will be held with the Traditional Council on Wednesday for clear modalities for them to follow to bring sanity to the Okada operation which he admitted has been dented with recklessness and indiscipline.
