6 News Riders Jacket: Osun Govt. Brokers Peace Between Okada Riders, Cycle Leadership

Kazeem Badmus

OSUN State Government has waded into the disquiet between commercial motorcyclists known as okada riders and the head of cycles sector in the state.

Some okada riders had on Monday protested at the Head Office of a private radio sta on in Osogbo, Rave Fm, calling on the state government to halt the sales of jacket to them.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the jacket is being sold at the rate of N2500 each.

According to okada riders, the economic hardship in the country has made it difficult for them to feed their families, explaining that “buying the jacket at this cri cal me might be difficult for them”.

One of the protesters, Wasiu Babajide, while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, urged the leadership of the cycle union to extend the deadline for the purchase of the jacket ll January, 2024.

Babajide said: “Things are very ght this me around. If we buy N2000 fuel, to make N3000 out of it will be very difficult.

“We are not saying we won’t get the jacket, but they should give us more me. They should extend the deadline ll January, 2024.”

Another protester, Gbenga Wasiu, said the okada riders who were perpetra ng crimes that made the union to compulsory the jacket are not from the state.

Wasiu called on the state government to stop the sales of the jacket.

“Those perpetra ng crimes are not okada riders from Osun State. Since the introduc on of the jacket, none of those in charge have come forward to say they apprehended anyone commitng crime.

“I don’t see any benefit in the jacket. That will not stop crime in the state. I just want to urge the state government to stop the sales of the jacket”, he stated.

When contacted, the head of Cycles sector in the state, Sikiru Abayomi popularly called Ado Igbona told newsmen that the protesters were riders from neighbouring states.

According to Abayomi, the riders have been no fied of the availability of jackets for over four months, add- ing that given more me will not stop them from complaining.

He said: “These protesters are the ones who doesn’t care and do not want the progress of the state. Saying the country is hard is what we don’t want to hear. If they can’t buy the jackets, they should look for another job.

“During the last administra on, the Okada riders paid but they didn’t get the jackets. Now, we have made the jackets available for over four months.

“Those who are yet to buy the jackets are not from Osun State. They are the ones who came from neighbouring states. Even if we give them 100 years, some of them will s ll complain and will not buy it.”

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the state government has convened a mee ng between some okada rid- ers and the heads of cycles union.

The state Commissioner for Transport, Hon Sesan Oyedele, in a telephone interview with the medium yesterday, confirmed that peace has been brokered between the two par es.

Oyedele noted that the sales of the jackets will con nue, while the deadline for buying it has been extended.

He said: “We have resolved the issue between the two par es.

The selling of the jackets is ongoing. We have extended the deadline and given the okada riders enough me to buy the jackets now”.