Ban On Okada: Edo Youths Rush To Driving Schools

Motorists and other road users in Benin City, the Edo State capital now ply the metropolis with fear following the increase of trainee drivers on the routes.

The development may not be unconnected with the ban of commercial motorcycle operators popularly known as “Okada” by the Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole in June 2013 as the state government attributed the upsurge to the use of motorcycles for criminal activities.

Some operators of driving schools in the state capital told our correspondent that they have recorded a boom in business since the ban on Okada riders came into effect, but remarked that the presence of the high number of vehicles on the roads had poised serious challenges for trainers and trainees as motorists have no patience for learners.

The managing director of Ivory Driving School, Mr Osarodion Francis, who said he has been in the business for over a decade, noted that they are inundated on daily with more clients who have continued to show interest in driving.

“Obviously, we are ensuring that every learner that passes through our driving school is equipped with the necessary driving skill and is knowledgeable on the road signs and regulations which to us is very fundamental. Our challenge is the attitude of other road users who in most cases are careless about those learning even when they see clear sign of learners boldly displaced on the vehicle.”

But for Omorodion Ojo, a taxi driver that plies the ever-busy Airport Road urged the state government to designate areas for trainee-drivers whom he said are responsible for some of the intra-city road accidents, adding that some of the driving schools must be certified to have the prerequisite know-how by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Head of operations of the Edo State Traffic Management Authority (EDSTMA), Amadi Owas, lamented the dangers posed by the trainees’ activities on major roads in the city, adding that more needs to be done by the FRSC and vehicle inspection officers (VIOs).

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