Working Lives: The Trained Welder who abandoned Welding to Riding Okada
I do not think I want to go back to welding. I have not really made any progress working as a welder. I think the business was not meant for me. My situation has improved since I started riding okada. If not for the ban, I would say I make enough money from riding okada. I know the ban will be lifted soon, then I can go back to making good money.
What is your name and where are you from?
My name is Oshikoya Gbenga. I am from Afijio Local Government Area in Ilora, Oyo State.
Tell us about your Education?
I had my primary education at Community Primary School, Ago Oyo, Ilora. Thereafter, I attended Community Secondary School Onifa in Ilora. Both schools are located in Oyo State.
Why did you not go for higher studies?
I have always wanted to go for higher studies. But I never thought I would end up riding Okada. I feel bad every time I see young people in NYSC uniform because it has always been my dream to serve my father land someday. I made moves to pursue my dream, I applied to Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki and got admitted to study Agricultural Technology. Unfortunately, I lost my dad while in my first semester at school. My dad had a car accident along Ogbomosho Road while he was on his way back from a wedding. His colleague’s daughter was getting married and he had to travel down to Ogbomosho for the wedding. After my dad’s demise, there was no one to sponsor my education anymore, so I had to quit school. My dad was a bricklayer. He did not make much from the job but he could feed his family and sponsor his children’s education. My mum made little money from her business so there was no way she could afford to sponsor my education.
Tell us about your family.
I am the first of six children. My dad is late. He died in 2001. My dad was a well-known man in my community. My mum is a trader, she sells fruits at a popular market in Ilora. She took care of her children from the little money she made from selling fruits. She could not afford to sponsor our higher education. My siblings are in Ilora, Oyo State.
Are you married?
Yes, I am. I got married in 2008. My wife is also from Oyo State. She sells food in a primary school at Ikorodu. I am blessed with three children. I got married in Ilora and lived with my family there before I relocated to Lagos.
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When did you come to Lagos and why did you choose Lagos?
I came to Lagos in 2011. After I left Oke Ogun Polytechnic, I could not get a job. With me being the new head of my family and with a lot of responsibilities, I knew I had to hustle hard. I decided to train as a welder. I enrolled at a welder’s shop in Ilora and trained for two years. I got my freedom and set up a welding business of my own. Sadly, the business did not boom as I thought it would. I contacted a friend who trained as a bricklayer under my father to assist me with accommodation in Lagos. I had decided to relocate to Lagos since my welding business was not moving well at Ilora. My friend was very helpful. He accommodated me in his house. I stayed with him for two years until I got an apartment of my own. I chose to come to Lagos because there are lots of opportunities in Lagos and I believed I would make money through my profession. My intention was to look for a construction company I could work as a welder for in Lagos State, but I took another job path after searching for a long time and I could not get a welding job.
What were you doing when you came to Lagos?
I joined my friend to work as a bricklayer in building sites. I could not get a job around welding so I had no choice but to join him. And of course, I needed the little money that came from the bricklaying work. I got paid between N1,000 to N1,500 daily. We worked from 7am to 6pm every day. I would always inform the site engineers that I am a professional welder so I could make more money. I worked as a bricklayer for two years and I kept saving. I rented a one room apartment and moved out of my friend’s apartment. Thereafter, I sent for my wife and child – I had a child at that time. After few years, my friend relocated to Ogun State. He could not get bricklaying jobs anymore because Lagos was getting developed. So, he had to move to Ogun State which was still developing at that time.
How did you start riding motorcycle?
As a man with a lot of responsibilities, I could not depend on labour jobs anymore. I joined a cooperative society and applied to get a brand-new motorcycle on credit. The cost of the motorcycle was N400,000 and I was to pay N5,000 per week. Part of the agreement signed was that if I failed in 3 weeks to remit, the cooperative society would collect the motorcycle without any refund to me. That was how I became a motorcycle owner.
Do you own your motorcycle fully now?
I am still paying for the motorcycle. The cooperative society is not really bothering me for the weekly returns due to the ban. I am remitting the little I can for now. I have paid N210,000 so far.
What came to your mind when you heard about the ban?
Actually, I was not surprised when I heard about the ban. That was not the first time the Lagos State government would restrict okada riders from working. What I am sad about is that the government has provided no alternative for us to make money. Some of us are not qualified to work in offices, so how do we survive? We all have families and responsibilities but the government cares less about all that. All they know is that okada riders are constituting nuisance so they have to be stopped. The highest we can get is to work as security men. A friend of mine recently got me a job at a bank as a security man. The pay was N25,000 monthly. I did not take the job because the pay is not much. I could earn that in a week with my okada riding business. When I heard about the ban, I never thought it would be as serious as our current reality. Some of my friends lost their motorcycles to the Police. The truth is, most of the okada riders you see out there got their motorcycles on credit. Some even took loans from microfinance banks to purchase motorcycles. People see okada riders as rough people, the reason we ride fast and rough at times is because most of us are trying to meet up with our payment targets. What I do now is relax in my house during the day and work with my okada at night. However, I usually call my colleagues and some agberos for update on the roads before I leave my house to work.
What is your take on okada riders committing crimes with their motorcycles?
I am not happy with the ban. A lot of people are starving as a result of the ban. These are people whose only source of income was okada riding. Truly, there are people who used okada to commit crimes, but I wish the government can fish them out and make them pay for their crimes instead of punishing innocent okada riders who only ride okada so they could make money to take care of their families. If I have the opportunity to talk to the governor of Lagos State, I will advise him to arrest the okada park chairman whose territory the crimes are being committed. They collect money from okada riders daily so they should be held responsible for the crimes. We pay daily dues to these chairmen but we getting nothing good from them in return. We had a meeting with our chairman before the ban and we suggested to him to provide customized vests and helmets for us, so that anyone who gets involved in robbery would be easily tracked.
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What are your plans for survival?
I do not have any concrete plan yet. My wife has been really supportive. She sells food at Togedejoye Community Primary School in Ikorodu. She will feed the children and I from the food she prepares in the morning, and in the evening, we eat whatever is left from the food she took to the school. That has been our reality since the ban took effect.
How much do you make daily?
I work only at night since the ban took effect. I work for 3 hours now. I make about N4,000 daily and about N15,000 in a week. I charge N1,000 from Ojota to Ikorodu and I will carry two people. That makes N2,000 for a trip. On days when there is traffic, I charge N1,500 per person for the same route. I work all night on Friday, this is because we usually have people going to clubs and parties. They would need us to take them home in the middle of the night. I cater for my children’s school needs and remit the little I can to the cooperative society from the money I make now.
How is the ban affecting you presently?
The ban has affected me in a lot of ways. I can no longer eat what I want, I can no longer take care of family, my house rent and power bills keep accumulating, the debt on my motorcycle keeps extending, I have no savings anymore because the little money I make now goes for feeding and remittance to the cooperative society. In fact, I now have sleepless nights. Not many of my colleagues will be able to cope with situations like this. Some might even resort to stealing if they cannot cope with hunger anymore. I hope the government lifts the ban soon.
What are your plans for your welding profession?
I do not think I want to go back to welding. I have not really made any progress working as a welder. I think the business was not meant for me. My situation has improved since I started riding okada. If not for the ban, I would say I make enough money from riding okada. I know the ban will be lifted soon, then I can go back to making good money.
How lucrative is okada riding in Lagos?
I make enough to feed my family. I sponsor my children’s education and I also have savings. It can only take a business that is lucrative for me to abandon my profession as a welder. I used to make a lot of money before the ban. There were days I could make as much N20,000 in a day. Lagosians are tired of the daily traffic, so they are willing to pay as long as they get to their destinations on time. Once I am done paying for my motorcycle, I intend to buy another motorcycle and give it out on hire purchase. The person will remit an agreed amount to me weekly or monthly. I know I have to be careful to embark on such deal because the person could abscond with my motorcycle.
Do you have plans to relocate from Lagos?
I do not think I can relocate from Lagos. I have nowhere to go and I definitely cannot go back to my village. I will rather remain in Lagos and keep hustling. I know things will get better someday.
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What do you think can be done by the state government to eradicate motorcycle accidents and crimes?
As I said earlier, the solution is for the government to arrest the chairmen of the parks where crimes are being committed. If this is done, the other chairmen will learn from that and carry out proper scrutiny before accepting any okada rider into their parks. Secondly, all okada riders should have customized vests indicating the park they belong to. This will make it easier to trace them to their parks in case of any report of crime or accident. The government should construct lanes on our roads where okada riders could ply. This will reduce the rate of motorcycle accidents because okada riders will stop racing on major roads with vehicles and trailers. Okada riders pay taxes, so I think this should not be difficult for the state government to achieve.
What are your future plans?
My future plan is to invest in okada business. I will also like to invest in transport business in a big way, i.e., buy buses and give them out on hire purchase to people to drive. We will agree on the amount to be remitted weekly. Transportation is a good business to invest in because you can be sure you will always get your returns no matter the situation.
