Okada is the local name name used to describe the commercial use of motorbikes for the transportation of people and goods from one point to the other. However, this phenomenon was not a known thing in Ghana until recently. The name ‘Okada’ already was in use in Nigeria where the use of motorbikes for such activities is on the rise.
A fatal accident that happened in the Shai Osudoku District in the Greater Accra region has got one victim in a critical condition which looks really dire. The MP for the constituency, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo has said, “He is still struggling with his life but both hands cut off. Okada riders are dying like animals in the constituency. I can’t overlook as an MP so providing them with insurance cover to me is one of my priorities,”
The high spate of Okada business in the city and other parts of the country is banned by the laws of the land and deemed illegal but if one is to consider the deplorable nature of our roads in some parts of the country, then the Okada becomes the best alternative.
The MP said until the roads in her constituency are fixed, she has no opinion than to allow the use of the Okada albeit risky.
The National Road Safety Commission has said 2019 recorded the death of 732 people through Okada related crashes and has therefore urged the government to take a second look at the law that prohibits the use of motorbikes or tricycles for commercial purposes.
Source : ghanaweb.com
