During a briefing on Wednesday, May 28, the Lagos State Government announced that it recorded 600 deaths in 10,000 accidents connected with commercial motorcycles (okada) between 2015 and February 1, 2020.

The state’s Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, who gave the statistics said, “it is worrisome to note that between 2015 to the commencement of restrictions of their movements, 600 deaths were recorded in okada/tricycle-related accidents.

Oladeinde added that the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency, MVAA, issues 6,000 new number plates weekly, 24,000 monthly and a total 288,000 in the last one year.

He said the administration had recently re-introduced the Temporary Vehicle Tag, TVT, to assist in providing a robust data base and sharing of valuable information about all new vehicles entering the state with law enforcement agencies, which he said harped on safety as well as security alertness.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, said the ministry had, in the last one year, improved the drainage network in the state to facilitate free flow of water through its proper channels.

He said while some of the drainage channels were cleaned up, they are being revisited on a regular basis to ensure that they do not return to the terrible state in which they were some five or more years ago. Bello expressed commitment to fostering a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for the well-being of the citizenry through the application of best practices in environmental management.

Mr. Bello also stated that the state is currently witnessing a cleaner environment as a result of the strategies put in place to stabilise waste collection activities on public highways such as Ikeja, Agege Alimosho, Iba, Otto Awori and Badagry expressway, among others.