Charles Owusu, Head of Operations of the Forestry Commission, has taken a jab at NDC 2020 flagbearer and former President John Dramani Mahama over his promise to legalize the commercial use of motorbikes.
Mr. John Mahama has assured motorbike riders whose business is to carry passengers to their destinations that he will legitimize their business when he comes back to power.
The commercial motorbike business called okada business in local parlance has been outlawed in Ghana.
The law that forbids any person from engaging in okada business was passed by the John Mahama administration before they were ousted from power but, to the former President, his return to the Presidential seat will see a lifting of the ban.
However, Mr. Mahama has received lots of bashings for his promise.
Also speaking on the issue, Charles Owusu has questioned the logic in Mahama’s quest to legalize okada business in the country.
Charles Owusu asked motorbike riders not to get deceived by the former President, emphasizing that no law in the country prohibits any person from riding motorbikes in the country.
He explained it is rather the use of unregistered motorbikes that has been banned.
He also stressed that no person is arrested for riding a motorbike or using it for delivery services, therefore Mr. Mahama’s promise to legalize okada business is mere hogwash.
”Who has been arrested and prosecuted in the law court for riding okada without a licence?” he questioned.
“I don’t know of any law that says that if you have a motorbike, you can’t allow someone to sit at your back seat for us to legalize it,” he further stated.
To him, if there is some good thing Mr. Mahama or anybody could do for okada riders, it should be educating them on how to ride safely avoiding road accidents.
“They must rather be educated to note that if you have a motorbike and get into traffic, you don’t have the licence to cross. If you have a motorbike, it doesn’t mean you can use a one way and face incoming vehicles. Riding a motorbike doesn’t mean you can misconduct yourself.
”Legalizing okada can’t solve Ghana’s problems. People already ride motorbikes in the country; this is no news”, he said on Peace FM’s morning programme ‘Kokrokoo’.
