Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has announced fresh measures aimed at strengthening the state’s transportation system, including plans to sponsor leaders of the Park Management System (PMS) and motorcycle riders’ unions to Kigali, Rwanda, for a study tour.
The governor made the disclosure on Sunday during the commissioning of the Victor Omololu Olunloyo Leisure Park along Airport Road, Alakia, Ibadan. The project, named after the late former governor, forms part of the state’s ongoing urban renewal and infrastructure development efforts.
Makinde said the study visit to Rwanda will expose transport stakeholders in Oyo State to globally recognised best practices that can help improve coordination, safety and efficiency within the sector.
“I will sponsor their leadership and the leadership of Okada riders to Kigali, Rwanda, to understudy how those people have organised their transport sector,” he said. “Yes, commercial motorcycles exist in Kigali, but they are well-identified, they use helmets, and they do not carry more than one passenger. We need to understudy this model to sanitise our system.”
The governor explained that although commercial motorcycles could be banned, as done in some Nigerian states, such a move would worsen insecurity and economic hardship for thousands of riders who rely on the trade for survival.
“Commercial motorcycle riders, about 50,000 of them, fill a gap. Banning them is the easiest option, but it will lead to an increase in criminality. What we must do is regulate them, minimise accidents, and ensure they earn a decent living,” he added.
Governor Makinde also highlighted the achievements recorded so far in the transport sector, particularly the successful completion of Terminals 1 and 2 of the Ibadan Central Bus Station at Iwo Road. He said the terminals have brought orderliness, improved management and better accountability to the transportation system.
“We now have in Iwo Road a system with proper management, where you can account for all buses leaving the terminals,” he said. “But we are not stopping at that.”
