The Okada Riders Association of Ghana has reacted to the National Road Safety Authority’s (NRSA’s) intention to train motorcyclists as it states that it is hypocritical of the NRSA to organize training for motorcyclists.
According to the Association, it is difficult to comprehend how an Authority that is against the commercial use of motorcycles will train riders.
In his conversation with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, Public Relations Officer of the Association, Solomon Akpanaba, questioned the mode and intention of the training.
“Some time back, it was published in the Daily Graphic that the NRSA had agreed that Okada must be regularized. Today we don’t know what they have heard or what they have seen, they have now come back to say that Okada cannot be regularized. After the elections, you have come out to say you want to train us. Are you going to train us as riders or you are going to train us as Okada riders? We will never comply with them because there is so much hypocrisy”.
While he admitted that training was necessary to curb the accidents on our roads, he was of the view that Okada riders, even without training, have plied their trade with caution and as such there has been less cases of accidents.
“These riders have not being trained but they have been able to get Ghanaians to trust the Okada system. Anyone who is in a hurry, picks Okada. They don’t care about statistics of accidents. They still take Okada because they know that not all of us are crooks”.
Solomon opined that the NRSA must put in efforts in training all road users on how to avoid road accidents rather than targeting only Okada riders.
Background
The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) have advanced preparations to roll out a comprehensive training programme on road safety for motorcyclists.
The move is part of measures to ensure that users of motorcycles and tricycles adhere strictly to road traffic regulations to help reduce the increasing rate of road fatalities involving motorcycles.
The Director-General of the NRSA, Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah noted that while there is a disagreement with whether to legalize Okada or not, the Authority still finds it important to train riders, since motorbikes are used for private and other purposes.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah
