Some tricycle operators also known as ‘Okada’ in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region have appealed to government to legalize their operations.
According to them, the legalization of their work will help them work with confidence in their operational areas and also avoid the needless harassment the police for abuse of their license meant for private use.
Their appeal come at the back of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearer, John Mahama campaign promised that seeks to legalize ‘Okada’ business when voted in power.
Speaking to A1 NEWS, some tricycle operators welcomed the promised by the NDC flagbearer and argued that, government could reduce unemployment in the country by legalizing ‘Okada’ business.
Godwin Ayine, said, “It is usually difficult for me to make savings because there is no blessed day that the security agencies will not collect money from me up to Ghc80. 00 despite the necessary documents that I have.”
“All of us cannot steal if not this business is equal to none because at the end of the day what you will earn will be given to the security men leaving you empty. I hope that if authorities can legalize our operations it will help us. Our families depend on us and not all of us can fix ourselves on the ‘white-color’ jobs”, Akolgo Mohammed added.
Another operator, Francis Adongo said “Just that, politicians don’t speak the truth but if what John Mahama is saying is true, it is a welcoming idea because we usually get maltreated every day by these security personnel.
We see stealing as a crime if not we could equally steal, but we don’t want it that way reasons we buy these ‘Cando’. But what the security personnel is doing to us is like we are thieves using ‘the Cando’.”
But Upper East Regional Director of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, Abdulai Mutawakilu,maintained that, until the law is amended, tricycle operators who are issued with private licenses cannot operate as commercial transport operators.
“What we usually give to them is a private license so if they are operating as a commercial purpose that is onto them. There is no law saying that we should license tricycles for commercial purposes so we follow the laws.”
Source:|A1radioonline.com|101.1MHZ|Moses Apiah|Ghana
