Following the death of a final-year student, Chisom Nwankwo, the management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Osun State has warned students against excessive use of motorcycles as a means of transport.
Nwankwo died after a commercial motorcyclist conveying her lost control at the scene of another accident on Tuesday.
In an exclusive interview with on Thursday night, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olanrewaju, condemned the carefree attitude of motorcyclists, otherwise known as Okada riders.
Olanrewaju also regretted that passengers on commercial bikes, in most cases, paid no attention to their safety as they engaged in chatting using their phones.
He disclosed that the bike rider conveying the deceased student was careless, saying he lost concentration while watching another minor accident, saying a bus hit the bike from the rear.
“We need to warn Okada riders, because they have what they hold on to, but the passengers do not have anything they would hold on to. That’s why the majority of the victims of Okada accidents are the passengers.
“So, those who are passengers on bikes should not be chatting with their phones. You will see some boys and girls on okada, they will be using their phones to chat, and would not know what is happening in the front. If anything happens, it will hit them more. If anything happens on Okada, there is no way someone pressing a phone would have prepared themselves. People should just be mindful of where they are going,” he said.
While praying God should give the Nwankwos the fortitude to bear the loss, Olanrewaju said the university had contacted the family of the deceased.
