Govt will provide Okada riders safety alternative job—Veep assures
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has expressed the president’s commitment to provide an alternative initiative for motorcycle popularly known as “Okada” riders to make ends meet.
According to him, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) administration would not risk the lives of the abled Ghanaian men and women as they discharge their duties to make a living.
Launching Volkswagon’s new assembled cars in Accra on Wednesday, Dr Bawumia assured that the NPP government would stick to its decision to provide a better alternative for the Okada riders.
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He noted that there was a recent conversation sparked by the opposition party, the National Democratic Congress which encouraged youth to be Okada riders as a means of job creation.
Dr Bawumia observed that those political gurus wanted to legalise and regularise the okada work in the country, which he said his government has better alternative.
Dr Bawumia however called on the Okada riders to engage with the government and other stakeholders to own the vehicles which were launched to ensure their safety while gaining a sustainable job.
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“I know that there has been a recent discussion about Okada in Ghana, I think that in the context of what we are doing we will rather encourage the okada riders to come in and try to lease these vehicles so that they can run businesses.
They need to graduate from this risky and less safe okada riding to a safer means of transportation. Their problem will be a lack of capital but if you bring in new leasing policies and we have our national ID cards with our digital addresses we can have a credit system working and give you an option other than this risky job,” he said.
Dr Bawumia lamented that other foreign countries were given better and safer jobs to their youth and expressed government’s commitment to create safe and sustainable jobs that would secure safety and lives of youth.
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“You don’t want to finish driving school and then make a life in okada riding. You can have a better option and we will give you a better option. So, yes, we will not legalise Okada business,” he added.
Dr Bawumia indicated that the decision by the government was tough but was informed by the safety and the well-being of the citizenry.
“It may be a tough decision but it is in the interest of Ghanaians. We have had discussions but we will stick to our decision to provide a better alternative to okada riding. Let’s give them an opportunity to lease vehicles and pay over time,” he said.
BY JOYCELINE NATALLY CUDJOE
