Okada rider given car after Lagos motorcycle taxi ban

By Nduka Orjinmo

A motorcycle taxi driver in Lagos has been given a free car as the ban on okadas and tricycles in Nigeria's commercial capital continues to stir widespread disaffection.

Sandra Eghaghara was a driver with ride-hailing service Gokada. He was put out of work when the ban came into effect.

In an interview at a protest by motorcycle taxi drivers last Friday, she spoke about the difficulty of finding a job in Lagos. The video went viral.

She was given the car by Kokunfoundation, an NGO which provides food for the needy and the poor.

In a video posted on the NGO's Instagram page, she profusely thanked a man who handed her the keys to the car.

The state government on Tuesday said the ban on motorbike taxis, known as okadas, and tricycles called kekes, was "irreversible", blaming them for causing "death and disorderliness”.

But the ban has not gone down well with commuters who are finding it increasingly difficult to get to their destinations.

On Wednesday, protesters calling for a reversal of the ban clashed with police in Iyana Ipaja on the outskirts of the city burning tyres and blocking the highway.

This article originally appeared on BBC News; photo: Reuters/Temillade Adelaja