It is said that, “A blow inevitably yours, earlier encountered extricate you from torrential hostilities and further incumbrances”
Honestly, we need not to dip and attribute sensible suggestions that may help resolve national canker to partisanism. It’s a sign of immaturity.
Ghana, just like many African countries, are facing many challenges and some has lasted for decades if not centuries and requires a deliberate attempt to get them solved. Such is the case of commercial motor riding in Ghana. For ages, the social gap between the rich and the poor which is worsened day in day out by the various economic recessions that the country has been through as a result of unemployment has lead to many youths losing hope in the “white color job” (even the graduates) and turning to affordable and sustainable ways of surviving and making ends meat. This made many of the youths to get into commercial motorbike riding which per the laws of the nation is not allowed.
But as they say, laws are made for people and not people for laws hence at this eleventh hour, dent measures must be taken to ensure that the laws benefit those underprivileged and unemployed.
Concerns however have been raised as to why the country’s legislative body thought it wise not to approve of the famous means of transport. Key among them is the risk involved.
My dear compatriots and nationals of other countries, come to think of it, “which means of transport is risk free on planet earth?” Airplanes, Ships, Cars, Trains, Cable transport, you name it, there is definitely no means of transport that is risk free, not even walking by foot! It is evidently clear that commercial motorbikes carry the lowest risk of transportation in this country since in a single Train, Bus, Airplane of Car accident, fifty and above human lives may perish but in a motorcycle accident a maximum of two is what we can cry for.
But what steps have we taken to reassure the passengers of the other transports? As a patriotic and a concerned citizen, I speak not to advocate for any political party, but to address the glaring issue that stared at us for years.
Mr. John Dramani Mahama mentioned in his manifestos and thereafter, others are criticizing it blindly because of his position but why do we see “Okada and Pragia” operating now in Ghana as means of transportation. Let’s shift from the hypocrisy act and talk about sensitivity. I don’t support his party but I like his idea. Ghana first.
Safety of passengers can be assured if proper measures are put in place. We need to expand and dualize our highways to reduce road accident.
Currently, majority of Ghanaians lives are placed below the poverty line and there are many solutions that commercial motor riding brings that no other form of transport can provide. Few among them are:
- Accessibility to interior parts of the communities which cars, trains and other modes of transport can’t do. The motorbike rider picks you from your gate to the door step of your office at the same fare that a car may pick you after walking to the road and drop you along the road to walk again to your office.
2.Again where roads are bad as in many rural areas of Ghana, taxi drivers abhor and dread the idea of plying those roads but without hesitation, motor riders render their services to and from those places.
3.Also, some villages have sight of a four wheel vehicle once a week and in case of emergency, it’s the motorbikes that readily solve the problem.
I saw in an article where it was stated that legalisation of the commercial use of motorbikes was compared to legalisation of armed robbery and I took exception to it because with or without commercialising the use of motorbikes, armed robbers for ages use cars, trains, motorbikes, boats, horses, and even planes to escape after perpetrating their crimes. So why should one believe that it is motorbikes which the law already permit everyone to have (including the unsuspected armed robbers) when commercialised would lead to a surge in armed robbery?
I therefore humbly call on our legislative arm of government to work on the laws in the interest of the citizens by legalising and regularising the commercial use of motorbikes now without partisan interest but our country.
I am a concern citizen of Ghana.
Signed
Boadi William
President of Educate Africa Institute (EAI), Educationist and Motivational Speaker.
+233541935106.
Source: Thepressradio.com|Ghana|
