The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti has banned commercial motorcyclists, otherwise known as okada, from operating within Umuahia, the State capital, and Aba metropolis.
Kazie Uko, the chief press secretary to the Governor, said, via a statement on Sunday, that the ban takes effect from Monday, August 14.
Uko noted that security agencies have been duly instructed to ensure strict compliance with the order by arresting any individual that flouts the ban and impounding the motorcycle.
The Abia State Government’s decision to ban okada is coming against the backdrop of a harsh economic hardship Nigerians are battling with as a result of the removal of petrol subsidy by the Bola Tinubu-led government.
With the ban, many okada riders in Umuahia and Abia will be thrown out of the labour market, especially as the government has yet to disclose any plan for curtailing the possible teeming unemployment.
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