By SAMSON ILIYA
Jos, the once-serene capital of Plateau State, known for its cool weather and hospitality, is gradually losing order on its roads.
Despite a subsisting ban on commercial motorcycle operations, popularly known as Okada, within the Jos-Bukuru metropolis, the city is witnessing a brazen return of commercial motorcyclists operating openly in total disregard for the law.
From the early hours of the morning until late in the evening, thousands of commercial motorcyclists have taken over major roads and junctions that were previously free of their activities.
The ban, introduced by the Plateau State Government as part of measures to restore order, curb rising criminality and reduce road accidents in the city centre, now appears to exist only on paper and in government press releases.
This is the reality on the ground: despite the motorcycle ban, people in the Bukuru and Jos metropolitan areas continue to carry on their usual business of operating Okada services.
From Zawan Junction to the Old Airport Roundabout, and from Secretariat Junction to several other major intersections, commercial motorcyclists operate openly. Citizens have continued to raise security concerns about some of these riders, alleging that some are involved in attacks and other criminal activities within and beyond the state.
This writer has monitored traffic flow along the Zawan Junction axis, which serves as a gateway into Jos from the south-west. The area has become a major hub for Okada operations.
As early as 6.00 am, between 10 and 20 motorcycles were counted lined up, soliciting passengers travelling towards Bukuru, Anguldi and Kwata.
The same scene has been observed at Mararaban Jama’a, Bukuru Express, Sabon Layi, Farin Gada and Tudun Wada.
But among the most embarrassing examples of this lawlessness are Secretariat Junction and the Old Airport Roundabout, two of the most strategic traffic control points in the metropolis.
At Secretariat Junction, the heart of the state civil service, Okada riders operate with reckless abandon. They carry two, and sometimes three, passengers without crash helmets, number plates or any form of identification. They overtake vehicles dangerously and create confusion at the intersection.
Unfortunately, at the same time, officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) can be seen stationed right under the bridge with their towing truck, apparently doing nothing to stop the riders.
This is one of the most shocking observations. Directly under the bridge near the Old Secretariat, FRSC personnel are stationed with their official towing truck. While Okada riders openly violate traffic regulations a few metres away, carrying passengers and committing traffic offences, the officers appear not to notice. There are no arrests, impoundments or warnings.
The situation is even worse at the Old Airport Roundabout. At this busy intersection linking Jos North and Jos South, police officers are also stationed with their patrol van. Yet Okada riders continue their daily operations without any apparent enforcement of the ban.
Motorcycles load passengers directly in front of the police patrol van stationed at the roundabout. The officers sit inside their van, while others stand outside using their phones. Meanwhile, Okada riders negotiated fares, pick up passengers and speed away without helmets, in full violation of the ban. Not a single motorcycle is stopped or impounded during the one hour our correspondent spent at the location.
Speaking with THE NIGERIA STANDARD, the Speaker of the Youth Assembly of Nigeria, Jos South chapter, Dung Sylvester, lamented: “That is the Nigerian system. The law is for the poor man who wants to obey. If you want to break it, break it boldly and nothing will happen. How can FRSC be under the bridge with a towing van and police with a patrol van at Old Airport Roundabout, and Okada is loading in front of them? What are they there for? Are they for decoration?”
The implications go beyond traffic disorder. Security experts have repeatedly warned that unregulated motorcycle operations in a fragile city such as Jos can pose serious security risks.
In recent years, Plateau State has battled rising cases of phone snatching, one-chance operations, kidnappings and coordinated attacks in surrounding local government areas. In several incidents, investigations have pointed to the use of motorcycles as getaway vehicles and for surveillance.
Many of these riders are allegedly unknown to the relevant authorities. They may not be registered with any union that can be held accountable, and some may lack traceable addresses or biometric records.
A rider could commit a crime in Bukuru in the morning and disappear into the hinterland by afternoon. Motorcycles can also be used by informants to monitor communities, by criminals transporting small arms across the city, and by hoodlums snatching phones and bags.
A community leader in Jos South, who pleaded anonymity for security reasons, said: “We know them. The same boys who do Okada during the day are the ones used at night. Because there is no regulation, you cannot differentiate between the genuine hustler and the criminal. That is why the ban was a welcome idea. But if government will not enforce it, it is better to tell us.”
The Plateau State Government, through the Ministry of Transport, had previously justified the ban on the grounds of restoring sanity to Jos, aligning the city with modern urban transport systems and curbing the use of motorcycles for criminal activities. The law provides for the impoundment of motorcycles and prosecution of offenders. However, implementation has been inconsistent.
What is evident is a pattern of selective enforcement. Sometimes, task force officials appear on the roads for two days, impound a few motorcycles and then disappear for months. Within days, the Okada riders return in even greater numbers.
Calls for decisive action
First, the government must clarify its position: is Okada banned in the Jos metropolis or not? If the ban remains in force, it must be enforced consistently, without fear or favour.
Every junction, from Zawan Junction to the Old Airport Roundabout, and from Secretariat Junction to Ahmadu Bello Way, must be covered by effective enforcement operations.
Second, enforcement agencies must be held accountable. The FRSC, Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) and Nigeria Police Force must explain why their officers stationed under the bridge at Secretariat Junction and at the Old Airport Roundabout, with towing and patrol vehicles, appear to watch violations without taking action.
The presence of a towing truck that does not tow and a patrol van that does not patrol has become a symbol of an ineffective enforcement system.
Third, if the government intends to relax the ban, it should do so through a proper regulatory framework. This should include mandatory registration, the issuance of numbered reflective jackets, restrictions on operating areas and the profiling of all riders through the Plateau State Ministry of Transport.
Jos is a city trying to rebuild its reputation as a city of peace and tourism. It cannot achieve that ambition amid chaotic traffic and unregulated motorcycle operations that appear to place riders above the law.
Until the ban is consistently enforced, residents of the Jos metropolis will continue to contend with noise, accidents and security concerns, while those charged with enforcing the law sit in their vehicles and watch.