John Dramani Mahama, flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress, has described as “419”, the promise by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to make operators of commercial motorcycles, known locally as ‘Okada‘, swap their bikes for mini cars.
Whilst the NDC promised to legalise Okada in the heat up to the 2020 elections, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, assured operators that his administration would rather give them mini cars in place of their bikes for more safety operation.
But after three years into their second term, the initiative has not been realised, whereas the business, has also not been legalised.
Speaking to the Okada riders at Ashaiman Monday, June 03, 2024, as part of his campaign tour, John Mahama promised that the NDC has once again codified in its manifesto, to legalise the operations of Okada, to provide more jobs for the youth, and also reduce the challenges they face in the hands of the police.
“They promised that instead of legalising okada, they said they were going to take your motorbikes and give you cars, is that not what they said? Did you get those cars? It turned into a 419. So we all know anything this government says are lies,” John Mahama told the hundreds who had gathered with their motorbikes.
“I know you have unions across the 16 regions so I’m using those of you present at Ashaiman here as a point of contact to all your colleagues nationwide that we declare from Ashaiman that it has been written again in the 2024 manifesto that if the NDC comes, we will legalise okada,” John Mahama assured.
