Assemblies must stop “okada” business – NRSC

Mr David Osafo Adonteng, Director of Planning and Programmes of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), on Tuesday called on  Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to stop commercial motorbike operations popularly known as “Okada”, in their districts.

He said the activities of commercial motorbike operators were illegal and asked the Assemblies to desist from collecting taxes from the operators and flash them out.

Mr Adonteng was addressing a meeting of Coordinating Directors from the Eastern and Volta Regions in Ho at the instance of the Local Government Service Secretariat.

Some Assembly members were said to be using their official motorbikes for commercial purposes.

Many of the commercial motorbikes were also said to be owned by some personnel of the security services, especially the Police.

Statistics by the NRSC have indicated that a total of 145 motor bikes were involved in road crashes in the Volta Region between January and June, 2013.

Mr Adonteng said commercial motorbikes were worsening the country’s road safety situation for which reason the Assemblies must act to protect the lives of people in their localities.

“The people are in your districts and communities. They are your human resource base and their lives are in your hands, you must not trade them,” Mr Adonteng said.

He noted that road crashes had become important indicators for determining tourist inflows into the country, and urged the Assemblies to make their areas attractive to tourists  by improving on their road safety records.

Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah, Executive Director of NRSC asked the Coordinating Directors to be road safety apostles.

Some participants opted to be advocates for road safety after watching gory accident pictures in a graphical presentation of the road safety situation in the country.

The NRSC said more than 2,000 people were killed annually in road crashes in the country.

Source: GNA