Just In : Makinde Distributes Free Reflective Jackets To Motorcycle Riders

…….Harps on safety of lives, properties

Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, on Thursday, flagged off the distribution of 15,000 free reflective jackets to commercial motorcycle riders in the state.

“So, these are the set of initiatives His Excellency is bringing on board to reduce the heinous activities being carried out in the state.

“We have tried to work together with the stakeholders and leadership of different Okada associations in the state. We have been liaising with them to actually talk to their followers to come out and key into this initiative. We will give them ultimatum and, after that, enforcement will commence. So, we are working together with the leadership to ensure this is effectively done.”

“Basically, we are going to evaluate after the 15,000 jackets we have given to them. We will see if we have genuine deficit that can spur us to produce more to be able to get this done. If we see people are not really getting to key into it, we will give a particular grace period.

“So, after our evaluation, we will know if we need more or not or if we are covered with what we have been able to give out. The position at that point will tell us whether there will be monetary charges or not, he concluded.”

Governor Makinde called for a sustained cooperation between the commercial motorcycle riders and the state government in order to improve the security of the state and its economy.

Earlier in their separate goodwill messages, the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade and the Chairman, Oyo State state Traffic Management Agency, Major Adesagba Adekola (rtd), said the motorcycle riders have a major impact on the economy of the state but that necessary cautions must be taken to ensure safety of lives.

They advised them to be law-abiding citizens and to always obey traffic rules, as government would not hesitate to enforce the rule of law on defaulters.

Representatives of the relevant stakeholders in the transportation sector also charged the state government to continue to maintain the friendly environment for their businesses to thrive.

The meeting had in attendance leaders of motorcycle riders across various zones of the state, including Park Management System, Motorcycle Transport Union of Nigeria, MTUN, Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners, Repairs and Riders Association of Nigeria, ACOMORAN, among others.

E-Signed
Sulaimon Olanrewaju
Special Adviser (Media) to Oyo State Governor
January 4, 2024.