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Over 2m ‘Okada’ riders operating?
Okada man
There are currently over 2 million registered commercial motor riders, popularly known as ‘Okada riders’ operating in the country across all 16 regions; even the remotest part of the country.
That huge number notwithstanding, they have been unsuccessful in courting support from the public to get the appropriate Act of Parliament to legalise their activities.
The national Spokesperson for the Okada Riders Association of Ghana (ORAG), Mr Solomon Akpanaba, told The Spectator, that remains a major headache for the association.
“We provide an essential service that makes it possible for people to move from one place to the other to carry out their activities. In so doing, we also contribute to Ghana’s socioeconomic growth but sadly, the public has not backed our calls to legalise our operations.”
Mr Akpanaba told The Spectator in an interview that Okada riding had to a large extent helped to reduce youth unemployment cases and believes that it was time a serious consideration was giving to it by government to make their profession legal.
He said instead of quickly accusing them of being reckless on the road and being a threat to road safety, the authorities should rather put measures in place to train them to ride safely and observe the road signs.
The national Spokesperson said currently, although there were uncountable number of driving schools, no effort was being made to get a school with certified instructors to train motor riders.
He said having riding schools with certified instructors would be helpful in this regard, explaining that the riders would therefore be licensed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) recommendation from such instructors.
He said at the moment, the training of the riders remains the responsibility of the ORAG.
According to him, training and regulating their activities could deal with the school of thought that their members also use their cycles to engage in robbery because every single member can be tracked and their activities monitored.
“We also need the motorbikes registration numbers designed to fit commercial purposes so that the difference between a commercial and non-commercial motor riders will be distinctive,” he explained.
He said if they were given numbers based on their locations, it would even make it easier for the association, its members and the public to monitor them to do what is right.
He disclosed that even though they were compelled to insure their motorbikes, whenever they were involved in an accident, they were told by insurance companies that they do not qualify for insurance benefits due to the position of the law on commercial riding.
Mr Akpanaba said Okada riding had come to stay based on the assessment of the invaluable services they provide and so the time has come for the state to regularise them instead of attempting to scrape them off.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Ashaiman
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
