The Nagari Nakowa Motorcycles Owners and Riders Association of Lagos (NNAMORAL) has cautioned residents of Amuwo-Odofin area against patronising unregistered motorcyclists.
Femi Mathias, Amuwo Zone C Chairman of NNAMORAL, said it was mandatory for registered members of the association to wear yellow reflective vests with their registration numbers while on duty.
He said that the association had adapted to the recent restriction of commercial motorcyclists and tricyclists on certain routes in Lagos and adopted new strategies to comply with the rules.
According to him, the duty of the task force is to check the excesses of the motorcyclists by preventing them from harassing residents when accidents occurred.
Mathias listed other duties of the task force to include preventing motorcyclists from going on restricted routes and aiding criminals as well as intercepting those who move around with dangerous weapons and those who take drugs.
“Whenever our task force stop motorcyclists, they check if they are in possession of knives, screwdrivers or anything that can injure passengers.
“There is a rider’s scan as well. We are also screening out the underaged motorcyclists from the system, even those who take drugs are also being screened out,” Mathias told Newsmen.
The Head of the association’s task force, Mr Alex Kareem, said the major challenges facing NNAMORAL were operators who came from outside the community and some residents who prevented them from carrying out their duties.
“We have different zones and chairmen, they have the number of motorcyclists they control, everyone monitors his area for easy coordination.
“We know all the okada riders in Amuwo Odofin, even without the vest, we can still identify them,” he said.
Kareem urged the residents to be patient during checks to enable the task force continue sanitising the system and fishing out the intruders.
The Secretary of Zone B, Mr Haruna Adaji, said NNAMORAL had been working with the Police Area “E” Command and the Festac Divisional Police to ensure that motorcyclists abide by the laws.
“Our men are situated in different places, if any accident occurs and they call us, under five minutes they are there to rescue the situation.
“If it is a serious accident, we call the DPO and the divisional traffic officer to come to our rescue.
“We will continue to work with the police to ensure the safety of the people in the community,” he said.
Adaji cautioned residents against patronising any motorcyclists after 9:45p.m. for their own safety.
Also speaking with Newsmen, Elijah Ogboche, Chairman, NNAMORAL Zone A, said the association also organised workshops to educate the riders on how to abide by safety rules.
“We don’t only hold it here, NNAMORAL holds workshops at our state council, we invite the Road Safety Corps and other security agencies to enlighten our members on risks.
“What causes accidents the most is over speeding.
“To reduce the numbers, we came up with the idea to screen out the underaged motorcyclists.
“We will not work on highways, we will only work on domestic routes where the speed limit will be regulated not to surpass the appropriate limits,” Elijah said.
NNAMORAL is affiliated to the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
