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Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State on Friday told commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada riders, not to allow themselves to be used by the opposition to disrupt the peace currently being enjoyed in the state.
He stated this while receiving the Okada riders under the aegis of the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Operators and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) who paid him a solidarity visit at the Governor’s Office, Ibadan.
The governor, who emphasized that his administration had no plan to ban ACOMORAN as an association or the activities of commercial motorcyclists in the state, urged the riders to be wary of the antics of the opposition to feed them with lies in order to infiltrate them.
He said that he was aware of the moves by the opposition to spread the falsehood that his government was planning to ban the activities of Okada riders in order to set them (Okada riders) against the government and exploit the possible crisis to penetrate them.
Part of the opposition’s plan, the governor said, was also to use the riders to visit the state with thuggery and violence which used to characterize the state before the coming on board of his administration.
“Don’t allow opposition to use you for thuggery and violence to destabilize Oyo State. They are full of lies. One of their many lies is that our government is planning to ban your association and your activities. It is all lies. They just want to use that to penetrate you and set you against the government.
“We are now almost three years in office. Why have we not banned you since we came on board if that was our plan? If anybody comes to you saying all sorts, tell him it is a lie and that you are now wiser,’’ he said.
Governor Ajimobi, who said there was no profession without dignity, urged the Okada riders to standardize their profession by being better organized, adding that his administration would organize series of trainings for them in conjunction with the VIO and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
“What I am saying is that you should try to dignify your association by organizing yourselves the more. We don’t want your names to be associated with thuggery and crimes. All we want for you is to standardize your operations and make your association the envy of your colleagues in other states,’’ he said.
Governor Ajimobi promised to give the association an operational bus as well as Hajj and Jerusalem slots.
The state Chairman of ACOMORAN, Mr. Saheed Folaranmi had earlier commended the governor for creating a new Oyo State where peace and tranquillity had been reigning as against the violence that used to characterize the state in the past.
He pledged the support of members of his association to the second term bid of Governor Ajimobi
