Legalise our operations-Okada riders petition Parliament

Accra, Feb. 1, GNA-The Ghana Private Motor-bike Operators Association (Okada) on Tuesday prayed Parliament to amend the law that makes their operations illegal. Mr Albert Acolatse, president of the association, said: 93we petition the Transport Committee in Parliament to reconsider the law that states tha= t motorbikes cannot be used for commercial purposes", he said. He called on Parliament to consider the fact that the Okada service ha= d created employment avenues to the country's youth.

According to him, it had alleviated somehow the unemployment burden on the state. He called on Parliament to plead on their behalf to be granted an interim permission to operate till the law was amended. Mr Acolatse said a research conducted into the activities of Okada in Ghana indicated that city dwellers would continue to access their services for reasons of reliability and speed. He said according to the findings of the research, Okada was a lucrative and rewarding venture hence it was attractive to many people in other businesses. According to him, to successfully eradicate the activities of the Okad= a was to adopt a vigorous urban employment policy.

Receiving the petition, Mr Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader, said: 93Tha= nk you for adopting peaceful means by coming to Parliament with your problem.= "

"It is good you did not take the law into your own hands", he said= and called on other groups who might have some problems to learn from their gesture. He said it was an established fact that the best way to resolve all issues was through peaceful means. He noted that Parliament would find the pros and cons of amending the law to pave way for their operations adding, 93thank you for being law abiding." Mr Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minority Leader, thanked them for resorting to due process in addressing their problems adding, it was the best way to go. He said it was the intention of the government to ensure that all yout= h were employed and that Parliament would find a way of dealing with their problem. There are about 400 motor bike operators working in Accra. They formed an association about 6 years ago to protect and advance their interest.