Okada (commercial motorcycle)

Okada in Kano, Nigeria

Okada (also: achaba, going, inaga^[1]) refers to commercial motorcycles used as vehicles for hire in Nigeria. The name Okada was borrowed from Okada Air, a now defunct local airline in Nigeria.

Naming

Okada Air was a local Nigerian airline that was not popular for its comfort, but remained the most used local airline in the country.^{[citation needed]} The name was used as a nickname for the motorcycle transporters, because they could maneuver between the heavy traffic of Lagos and take you to your destination in time, just as Okada Airline did. Because of the comic irony of this name being used for a cyclist and for the popularity of the airline, the name okada for the commercial motorcyclist was never to be forgotten and eventually became as popular as it is now. Many people do not even remember that there was any thing like Okada air any more. Okada began to gain popularity in the late 80s when because of economic difficulties in the last years of the first decade of the Nigerian economic crunch, some jobless youths began to use this age-old transport system for commercial purposes, to transport some stranded but willing passengers through the narrow or bad roads to the far inaccessible parts of the cities or villages. It is one of the chief modes of transport in Nigeria and, by far, the most common form of informal transport system in that country. It is easily affordable for the common man and very flexible. Above all okada is readily available: one can hadly wait too long for an okada to come around, even in the remotest villages they appear at given intervals. There is no road too narrow or a place too remote for Okada. It became for the common man a welcome alternative to the sometimes short but often long walk to-and-fro home after a long journey or a days job - a short trekking under the sun (for example from a commercial car park where the passengers are picked or dropped collectively) that is more tedious and arduous than it looks. For these reasons okada became quickly beloved and did not take long to convince its critics and soon the fears or recentments of the early inception were dissolved into calculable risks that accompany all transportation. The popularity and widespread acceptance of okada has rapidly risen in recent years. It has become a regular means of transportation for the young and old, man or woman. Unfortunately, the rise of okada has been accompanied by increased levels of high-risk behavior and accidents on Nigerian roads; as a result they have come under heavy flak culminating in legislations restricting or prohibiting their operations in some Nigerian cities.

The Roles of Okada in the Nigerian Society

Okadas are adapted to contemporary Nigerian society, which is lacking in taxi and bus service, and suffers from congestion, and the poorly maintained roads. They have become a ubiquitous feature of Nigerian cities because of their low cost of purchase and fuel efficiency. However, they are usually more expensive for consumers than public transit.

Okadas in Kano, Nigeria

Okadas have thrived during gasoline shortages in Nigeria due to their superior fuel economy to cars. A weak mass transit system has spawned the use of these alternate means of transport. Okadas are also able to navigate and travel roads where no car has gone before - especially true in villages, and urban slums. Okada riding has been described as “a unique experience” by regular passengers and tourists.^[2] Okadas are used in cities like Lagos by businessmen, government workers, students to overcome traffic congestion.

The Okada Driver and Okada Passenger Profiles

A study carried out in 1993 in Yola, a medium-sized city in the north-eastern state of Adamawa, Nigeria, provides additional insight into the nature of the okada business. The study showed that about 88% of the okada riders were aged between 18 and 30 years and only 47% of them received formal education of any form. The 1993 survey also elicited information from 106 motorcycle users. Customers were generally: male (65%); young adults between 18 and 30 years of age (57%); in possession of a diploma from a secondary school or higher (83%); unemployed but in the job market (59%); and of low-to-moderate income levels (45%). Okadas were valued mainly because they were fast and readily available. Customers disliked them because they were considered to be unsafe (stated by two-thirds of respondents) and expensive (stated by 43% of respondents). The survey of okada customers in Akure also revealed customer concerns over safety – 61% felt operators drove too fast and 31% felt they drove too recklessly. Left with few mobility options, many patronize okadas well knowing the significant risks involved.^[2]

Criticism

See also: Motorcycle safety

Accidents

Okadas, like motorcycles elsewhere, have a higher rate of crippling and fatal accidents per unit distance than automobiles. A study conducted in the USA in 2004 showed that While about 15.0 cars out of 100,000 ended up in fatal crashes, the rate for motorcycles was 69.3 per 100,000.^{[verification needed][3]} A 1998 study at the Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, showed that injuries to limb the occurred in 79.3% of patients who reported at the emergency department of that hospital. The same study also stated the male: female ratio of accident victims to be around 2.8:1, and identified the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to be practically nonexistent among most okada riders.^{[verification needed][4]}

Causes

• Given the common incidence and serious consequences of motorcycle accidents, there has been surprisingly little study of their causes. The only major work done on this subject in the USA is the Hurt Report, performed around 1980 in the Los Angeles area. One of the central conclusions of the report was this:

The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents. The driver of the other vehicle involved in collision with the motorcycle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.

• However, in Nigeria, the reverse may in fact be true – the vast majority of okada riders do not pay attention to road signs and other motorists.

• Other causes of motorcycle accidents involve unlicensed and untrained riders. In some parts of Nigeria, okada riders make their commercial debut after a few hours of training sessions. Underage okada riders are not a rarity on Nigerian roads.
• Drunk or drugged riding.
• Shared-rides involving two or more passengers.
• The poor state of Nigerian roads, which are typically riddled with pot-holes.
• Graft and corruption among the road safety officials, and the Nigeria Police Force, both of whom are easily induced into condoning traffic misdemeanors when given bribes.

Okada and Crime

The rise of okada has been linked^{[by whom?]} to an increase in the crime rates in cities throughout Nigeria, particularly in the city centers, urban slums and, red light districts. This criminal activities range from (the typical) snatching of personal effects (e.g. mobile phones, purses, bags) to abduction, grand larceny, and (political) killings.

Other Issues

Okadas have been criticized^{[by whom?]} for their roles in causing or exacerbating traffic congestions in the cities where they operate. Cases also occur of gang beatings where okada riders take on offending/innocent motorists during accidents. Fights have been known to flare up in rioting, and setting of vehicles on fire.

See also

• Boda-boda
• Motorcycle taxi

References

1. ^ "The impact of Inaga ban on students". www.thenationonlineng.com. The Nation (Lagos), Thursday, 18 June 2009. http://thenationonlineng.net/web2/articles/7018/1/The-impact-of-Inaga-ban-on-students/Page1.html. Retrieved 2009-12-27. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Cervero, R: "Informal Transport in the Developing World", 2005
3. ^ US Highway Safety Authority, 2004
4. ^ Oluwadiya et al., "Motorcycle limb injuries in a developing country", "West African Journal of Medicine", 2004

Further reading

• Solagberu et al., 2006, Motorcycle injuries in a developing country and the vulnerability of riders, passengers, and pedestrians, Journal of Injury Prevention.
• Daan Beekers, 2008, Motorcycle fellowships: security, solidarity and subjectivity among okada riders, chapter 4 of 'Children of a "Fallen House": Lives and Livelihoods of Youth in Nigeria'. MPhil Thesis. Oxford. [1]
• The WHO newsletter on road safety, 2004, Road Safety Is No Accident.
• The UK Department for Transport, 2004, In-Depth Study of Motorcycle Accidents.
• US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2001, Fatal Single Vehicle Motorcycle Crashes.
• US National Technical Information Service, 1981, Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures (The Hurt Report).