We're Not Frightened By NDC’s Promise To Legalise Okada – Minister

The ruling government says it is not threatened by the manifesto pledge of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to legalise the activities of commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada.

This is according to the Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah.

According to the Minister, a process to engage relevant stakeholders on safety concerns with Okada started in 2019 in a bid to shape policy.

He added that the governing New Patriotic Party is not frightened about Mahama’s promise.

The Minister made this known when he spoke to journalists after a Public Accounts Committee hearing on Wednesday, September 9, 2020.

“We are not frightened about it. We are supposed to govern this country to the best of our ability with what will be in the interest of this country. There are certain things that if you are doing you must get the buy-in of the people and in introducing such a policy, the law says that you must do a stakeholder consultation with persons with interest in it. We have already started consultations with the people since 2019 but coming up with such a policy, it’s not about speed but accuracy and getting the right people.”

“When we are done engaging the experts and others, it will enable us to come up with a good policy. So let us not compare these issues and say somebody has made a campaign promise, so we should come and respond to it. The law was passed in 2012 by the erstwhile NDC administration, but we as a government know that this is a matter we need to take our time to consult the people involved and come up with what is best for the nation.”

---citinewsroom