Fahim Salem, the CEO of Gokada, has delivered a passionate speech following the ban of motorcycles and tricycles in certain parts of Lagos.
The ban on commercial motorcycles – known as okada – and commercial tricycles – popularly called Keke Napep – also affected motorcycle ride-hailing services like Gokada and MAX.
Nigerians affected by the ban took to Twitter to express their displeasure at the ban. Some complained that they had to trek long distances to get to work.
In reaction to the ban and the tweets about it, Fahim Salem released a video.
He said he’s been quiet regarding recent events because he’s trying to “process it” and decide on how to react to it.
He went on to speak about the Gokada vision, why he started the company and how much money has gone into it. He also spoke about efforts made to train drivers extensively, how they were provided with materials to work better and how they monitored riders to eliminate the bad ones immediately so as to reduce bike accidents on the road.
He added that their efforts resulted in an accident rate of less than 0.1%.
He added that Gokada isn’t just a job for many, but a means of funding their dreams, and the ban on okadas, including Gokada, effectively kills this dream and renders the riders jobless.
Watch his speech below.
https://twitter.com/InsideMainland/status/1224245032196149248
— Inside Mainland (@InsideMainland) February 3, 2020
