OKadas and Pedestrians: Blessings or Curse?

Ever wandered why you cannot take a peaceful stroll on the streets of Lagos?

1. Many streets do not have sidewalks.

2. Those that have 'sidewalks', have had the same sidewalks turned into instant markets; for selling all sorts of food stuff.

3. Where, 1 and 2 above do not hold, the sidewalks have become an expressway for Okadas.

It is time someone writes a book on Okadas, especially in Lagos.

Every morning, I walk past a particular roundabout in VI (where the residents of the area are supposed to 'know') and I have to first jump over several gutter covers (the covers were removed about two years ago during a gutter cleaning exercise and were never returned; the have been permanently placed on the sidewalk). Then I continue my journey on the road, because the sidewalk is blocked by people selling their wares, and Okadas. And even on the road, I have to hop-skip & jump, avoiding both Okadas and vehicles.

Now that BRT lanes and buses are in operation in Lagos, I think the time is ripe for the Lagos goverment to make an ORT lane or FOO Lane (for okadas only).

Having fallen victim late last year; i began to count the number of people i know first hand, who have suffered the fate of Okada accident.

There is almost not a day that there are not okada accidents.

One asks, are the Okada drivers licensed? Do they have standard driving tests to pass?

In this Lagos, the fear of Okada is the beginning of wisdom for any person driving.

It is the 'continuation of life' for any pedestrian, trying to cross a dual lane street. The checks, where there is a road island is for five lanes on both sides: okada, cars, okada, cars, okada: hmm,,  jump across to the road island, then okada, cars, okada, cars, okada: hurray,,  made it to the other side.