The Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Abraham Amaliba, has disclosed that commercial motorbike riders, popularly known as okada operators, will be required to belong to recognised unions and comply with strict safety regulations under proposed traffic reforms.

Speaking on The Law on JoyNews on Sunday, Amaliba said the new regulatory framework aims to improve accountability, enhance road safety and make it easier for law enforcement agencies to monitor the activities of commercial motorbike riders.

According to him, the policy will prevent individuals from operating as commercial riders independently without being registered under a recognised union.

“So, for instance, it talks about unionising the motor riders, so you are not going to see a single okada person just riding on his own; he must belong to a union. It means that as a commercial motor rider, the law will not allow you to operate unless you belong to a union,” Amaliba explained.

He said the requirement is intended to create a clear system of identification and accountability within the sector.

By belonging to a union, authorities will be able to trace riders more easily if they are involved in traffic violations or other forms of misconduct.

Amaliba added that unions will play a key role in ensuring discipline among riders, as they will be responsible for producing members who violate traffic regulations when requested by law enforcement agencies.

“And so your union will be in a position to produce you if you are found breaching the traffic regulations. And so that is one way of regulating misconduct,” he noted.

Beyond unionisation, the NRSA boss emphasised that the new rules will also enforce strict safety standards, particularly regarding protective gear for riders.

He said all commercial motorbike riders will be required to wear protective helmets that meet standards approved by the country’s regulatory authorities.

“And so the other thing, too, is that you are supposed to be in a protected gear, so you must have a helmet, but that helmet is not any other helmet. We have standard helmets that the standard authorities have approved,” Amaliba stated.

According to him, the measure is necessary because some helmets currently used by riders do not meet safety standards and could worsen injuries during accidents.

“We have noticed that sometimes when the accident occurs, the helmets that you wear may even speed up your death,” he warned.