Commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada riders, yesterday endorsed the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan for the forthcoming elections.

The endorsement came from the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) at a meeting of its executives across the country, with the President at the Eko Hotel and Suites at Lagos.

This follows a commitment by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chukwuemeka Nwogu, to mobilise the organised labour to come out en-mass and vote for Mr.Jonathan in the forthcoming polls. The President of the association, Babangida Shehu, who spoke for the group said the endorsement will be immediately followed with massive support across the length and breath of the country.

Mr. Shehu who once a bike rider but now running for the Jos North Constituency of the Plateau State House of Assembly, noted that there are over eight million commercial motorcyclists with one or two dependants and more than 30 per cent of the riders are graduates from Nigerian universities. “The implication of this is that more than 10 percent of Nigeria population live on revenue from bikes,” he said, adding that “the commercial motorcycle is providing self-employment for a reasonable number of our youth”.

He, however, noted that the bike business is facing serious challenges from state governors who see the operators as a nuisance to the society or as criminal elements as they have either banned or limited the commercial operation time. “These actions are taken without providing alternatives for the riders whose means of livelihood are threatened by these policies,” he said.

Registering members

He noted that the association has embarked on a nationwide live data capture and biometrics of their members to give the states some form of comfort and assurance. “To achieve this, the group is working with the Nigerian Police force, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Commission, who we are going to share our data with for enforcement and crime management,” said Mr. Shehu, who asked the president to assist in the provision of the data capturing machine for the group.

“Capacity building for our members, make case for us with states that seek to legislate us out of existence; support our nationwide live data capture through provision of data capture and provide ACOMORAN with Federal Government’s subsidy for its ATCS Micro Insurance scheme,” he stressed.

Mr. Shehu promised that the group will deliver the largest group vote come April 2011. In his response Mr. Jonathan thanked the bike riders for their services, noting that, since not all Nigerian roads have been fixed, it is easier to access where cars cannot go with the motorcycles as they constitute almost 50 percent of transportation.

The president observed that,bike raiders have better chance of controlling crime rather than abetting it . The president noted that armed robbers can buy motorcycles and use it to rob, but this doesn’t mean it is the bike riders that are robbers.

He directed that some members of the association meet with the Economic Adviser to the President and see how they can work out modalities to start assembling or manufacturing the motorcycles in Nigeria.

The president promised to work with the group to sort out their challenges, especially those in the states.



http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5684629-146/story.csp

hahaha. I laugh in Hindu

Nothing new, if MEND can endorse him why not OKADA Riders,
Birds of feathers

Fresh air, feel it,

baba-bosun:

Nothing new, if MEND can endorse him why not OKADA Riders,
Birds of feathers

Okada riders are Nigerians just like you with a choice who their endorsement goes to.

Okada riders including the massive Achaba riders in the North?

We dey laugh ooo. Massive support indeed. when i saw the topic, I thought the endorsement came from Pastor Enoch Adeboye

Mtsww these GEJ supporters have lost it, so desperate!

how does this get to the front page?
Bunch of retards, i laugh in Ijebu!
President Olokada indeed, gej no get shame at all, imagine him saying okada riders should help curb crime as if that is there job, clueless fisherman,
Youth dont need okada as a good source of leaving afterall according to thier Oga, 30% are graduate, this alone should make gej cried loud, Wasted generation of retards who does not know their enemy again, poverty of mind as really beclowed nigeria,
Its is left for the people to make change or leave in thier missery,
God is laughing at us cos we are inept people who religion as beclowed, make we dey wait for God to removed pdp, God self dey laugh at us, God as giving us the power of reasoning to make choices, so dont call him to this subject.
Gej aka mr fantasy promising evry body, pls i never get my own biscuit,
Awon were,

http said:

President Olokada indeed, gej no get shame at all, imagine him saying okada riders should help curb crime as if that is there job, clueless fisherman,
Youth dont need okada as a good source of leaving afterall according to thier Oga, 30% are graduate, this alone should make gej cried loud,  Wasted generation of retards who does not know their enemy again, poverty of mind as really beclowed nigeria

My friend please shut up. You're in Columbus Ohio. Do you know how many graduates are driving taxi in America? Including PhD holders? And working in bars, in security, as waiters, waitresses etc? Have you lambasted Obama for the situation or you're just chopping hamburger and fries there regardless, while insulting Nigeria? Nonsense.

Egbe olokada abi?

How much has Goatluck given to them? N200million? Afterall, the guy na free donor these days.

The frustrated desperation of this GEJ sef.

Mschewwww.

this is the final straw for gej

30% of riders are graduates from universities. Hahahaha Okada riding is now a conventional career under president Elemele Jonathan!? Only for naija. Hehehe

ROSSIKE:

http said:

My friend please shut up. You're in Columbus Ohio. Do you know how many graduates are driving taxi in America? Including PhD holders? And working in bars, in security, as waiters, waitresses etc? Have you lambasted Obama for the situation or you're just chopping hamburger and fries there regardless, while insulting Nigeria? Nonsense.

lol, I thought I was the only one reasoning in this direction

Them wan tell us anoda lie again oooooo!(2 face). Was it not this same okada riders that rejected PDP and burnt PDP flags across the northern cities after the PDP primaries? Some okada boys were given money to deceive some fools. simple!

ROSSIKE:

http said:

My friend please shut up. You're in Columbus Ohio. Do you know how many graduates are driving taxi in America? Including PhD holders? And working in bars, in security, as waiters, waitresses etc? Have you lambasted Obama for the situation or you're just chopping hamburger and fries there regardless, while insulting Nigeria? Nonsense.

kai!!, my brother don vex ooo

wazobiann:

Them wan tell us anoda lie again oooooo!(2 face). Was it not this same okada riders that rejected PDP and burnt PDP flags across the northern cities after the PDP primaries? Some okada boys were given money to deceive some fools. simple!

Na today?

These motocyclists are graduates who have given up on employment---and Mr president instead of promising jobs oppertunities is about to ship in more bikes to cause more untimely death


Immagine how dim

Ok oooo, others are sleeping while the President and Dame Patience are on the Road. Okada riders are many all over Nigeria and if he can identify with them successfully, it means at least 70% of their vote is certain.

News: Dame Patience has visited almost all the Igbo Kinsmen in Lagos(Underground campaign that is bound to bring effective result) .


IT IS TIME TO START MAKING SOUND AND NOT NOISE, HIT THE STREET AND CAMPAIGN FOR WHO YOU BELIEVED IN.   My Vote is for Goodluck, chi ke na(in hausa)

Money don change hands

Anyway, wetin concern aboki okada riders with endorsement. In fact, I have interacted with many of them and they not only root for Buhari, they have his stickers on their motor cycles. And they dominate okada business in Lagos. Endorsement my foot!

The okada group wants their own share of the national cake shikenah

This GEJ people will not stop amusing us. Of all group of Nigerians, it is the endorsement of Okada riders that Jonathan supporters are making noise about. Yes, they are Nigerians but any corrupt polician can buy them with just N100,000.00. If those poor guys that endorsed Jonathan are based in Lagos, I can tell you that Tinubu (Ojuyobo) will double the money given to them on the eve of the election and they will vote for ACN. These people are looking for what to eat - whoever brings money will have his way. The endorsement does not have to do with principle and the fact that they belief GEJ can better their life.

Don't come here to tell us Olokada, NURTW, and their likes endorsed a candidate - that is petty polictics that we want to stamp out of Nigeria.

O boi!! This okada bizness don dey boom o! Okada riders layin back at EKO HOTEL!!

Why dem no go endorse?

Also, people are under estimating the population of hausas in Lagos and South in general. Go to "sabo" and markets like mile 12 and you will be taken aback by the level of awareness among them as to who to vote. They know the slogan of CPC more than the CPC members. They will even turn out to vote more than we southerners - all these votes are 100% for Buhari.

birds of the same feathers flock together,endorsers and endorsees are all semi literate.

@Bassike n blink182
guy pls be objective enough, waiter, cab driver are job ehoch u cant compare to okada in naija, for an Okada chairman or what to say 30% of its members are graduate is shameful for our president wanting to invest more inform of bike assembly in naija, so more of us will enter into the poverty lead suicide job abi?
Is that the kind of job a graduate should be doing, waiter and cab drivers purchasing power n standard of living can never be compare to someone working in a bank in naija let alone okada rider, n ur president is campaigning for more tenure.

You also said i should shut up, if my post is against ur   thinking, belive, candidate, sorry u cant change that, i have the right to express my opinion likewise yours, so u dont have the right shut me up, naija mentality in action.

I still dey laugh at the Commander in cheif of Olokada.

Awon were,

That 30% of okada riders are graduates is a sad indictment of Nigeria as a whole and not just GEJ

what do u expect from  them, they are doing this so okada will not be bound, u know okada is not allowed in Abuja.

debest1:

That 30% of okada riders are graduates is a sad indictment of Nigeria as a whole and not just GEJ

they are senseless the government that made graduate an okada rider where they have to be in the office, that's the people they are endorsing, maybe the helmet has dampen their brains. lolz

where is the MASSIVE?

ebealways:

they are senseless the government that made graduate an okada rider where they have to be in the office, that's the people they are endorsing, maybe the helmet has dampen their brains. lolz

How did the GEJ govt make a graduate an okada man? The situation of nigeria is so dire that over the past 25 years people have resorted to all sorts to secure their daily bread. Some lucky ones have had to go abroad, a few others resorted to crime while some are okada drivers.

This is good news for Gej and his supporters! At least, this endorsement has raised their hopes! By the way, I have noticed that buhari supporters on nairaland are getting aggressive nowadays and are putting up that win at all cost attitude! I'm an objective Ribadu supporter, and buhari supporters are becoming unbecoming!

Don't worry guys, the association of shoe makers would soon endorse GEJ. Thi is probably GEJ's response to NANS endorsement of the BB ticket.