The Kwara State House of Assembly has called on the state government to direct the Ministry of Transport to register recognised transport unions in order to curb the infiltration of undesirable elements among them.
The call followed a motion of General Public Importance on the “Urgent Need to Review the Operation of Okada and Tricycle Commercial Operators in Kwara State,”; raised by Lawal Ayansola Salihu, the member representing Ipaye/Malete/Oloru Constituency, during Thursday’s plenary.
Reading the House’s resolutions, the Speaker, Yakubu Danladi Salihu, called on the Kwara State Residents Registration Agency, KWASRRA, to implement a mandatory registration system for all commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators. This system should include clear identity verification, biometric data, and unique identification numbers.
He further urged Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to direct the Senior Special Assistant on Drugs and Narcotics to collaborate with the NDLEA in conducting drug integrity tests on all registered commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators in the state.
While leading the debate on the motion, Lawal Ayansola Salihu noted that some Okada and tricycle riders are being used as tools to perpetrate criminal activities, including banditry, robbery, kidnapping, and drug trafficking.
The lawmaker also urged the state government to continue its efforts to maintain peace across the state by ensuring that Okada operations are not hijacked by criminal elements.
Other lawmakers who contributed to the debate called on the governor to direct the state Commissioner of Police to ensure strict enforcement of the 9 pm closing hour for okada and tricycle operators on Kwara roads as a means of curbing criminality.
They also urged the government to direct the Ministry of Communication to design and implement continuous public sensitisation campaigns on the prevalence of crime and criminality.
