The Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government, Hon. Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo has described the newly introduced daily health insurance scheme for commercial motorcycle (Okada) riders and passengers as a life-saving initiative aimed at protecting the vulnerable in the informal sector.
Oyegbola-Sodipo, who spoke at a joint press conference alongside his Abeokuta South counterpart, Hon. Afeez Balogun, held at the NUJ Secretariat, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
It would be recalled that ROMO leadership had earlier condemned the decision of Oyegbola-Sodipo to suspend commercial motorcycle operations in the council area following protests against the introduction of a new revenue ticket.
Sholebo, in a statement in Abeokuta on Tuesday, described the suspension as “ill-advised and counterproductive”, stressing that it unfairly punishes hardworking riders who are already burdened by the harsh economic climate.
While reacting to the press release, Oyegbola-Sodipo said the scheme was not only in line with Governor Dapo Abiodun’s directive to deepen his legacies at the grassroots but was also designed to tackle the safety and welfare challenges facing operators and commuters.
He explained that the informal health insurance programme, in existence for over two years, had already benefited more than 2,000 elderly and indigent residents in Abeokuta North and South, providing them with a full year’s cover at no cost.
The Chairman hinted that the next phase was to capture Okada riders as the most critical group in terms of safety, given that 45% of road crashes in Ogun State involve motorcycles.
His words “To address this, we saw health insurance as a good means to at least establish a profiling system to know exactly who is riding Okada. On top of that, we decided to bring more value to these informal sector operators. In the event of an accident, both the rider and the passenger will now be covered”
Oyegbola-Sodipo dismissed allegations of exploitation, stressing that the scheme allowed riders to pay daily and still enjoy full one-year cover, even if they had only contributed for a single day before an accident.
According to him “The next level is to focus on those in the informal sector who earn a certain level of income. Our first priority is to identify the most critical group, particularly in relation to safety, and that is the Okada riders.”
“As we speak today, there is no record of Okada riders in any part of Ogun State. If anything goes wrong, you can not track anybody. That is why crime and criminality have found a platform through their operations.”
“To address this, we saw health insurance as a good means to at least establish a profiling system to know exactly who is riding Okada. On top of that, we decided to bring more value to these informal sector operators. This is what we began over a week ago, starting with Abeokuta North. By the grace of God, tomorrow in Abeokuta South, we are going to onboard Okada riders onto the health insurance scheme provided by the state.”
“For example, if someone is onboarded today and an incident happens tomorrow, they will get the full cover as though they have paid for a year, even if they have only paid for one day. That is what some people are now criticizing.”
“So the question is: who is being exploited? Who is actually doing the work? Are we doing the work, or are they? And for all the years they have been in operation, have they ever shown concern for the care of the people? I leave that for you to answer.”
”It is important to set the record straight. Abeokuta is a metropolis. There is nowhere in the world where you do not think about insurance. It is a critical safety net. Recently, the President directed that insurance cover should be provided for the poor.”
“In particular, on this matter, we are standing with the Okada riders and passengers, extending the same to market women, traders, and soon, artisans within the local government. The whole idea is that this becomes part of the dividends of democracy., Oyegbola-Sodipo concluded.
Meanwhile, the Abeokuta South Local Government is set to begin onboarding Okada riders onto its own health insurance program tomorrow, expanding the initiative beyond Abeokuta North.
