Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy and Area Father, has said he is in support of the action taken by the Lagos State government to rid motorcycles and tricycles off some of its roads, even though he had agitated for the rights of Okada riders for more than two decades.
The 68-year-old activist, musician and son of the former Supreme Court Justice, Late Chukwudifu Oputa, who spoke on Wake Up Nigeria on Television Continental, said the ban is necessary to protect the lives and properties of Lagosians, adding that strange faces with questionable motives are taking over the business.
He said, “I do support the ban. A lot of people will say that’s a twist because for the past twenty-five years, I’ve fought for them. I agitated for their rights and so on. But the people I am seeing now are not my boys, I don’t know them and they don’t know me and there seems to be a lot of funny people from funny places that are taking over the business.
“In these days where there are lots of lapses, security lapses, you know people not doing their jobs as they are supposed to do, you know, it’s something worrisome. I don’t know where these people are all coming from.
“These people are not the guys I fought for. I have seen a lot of strange faces and believe me; I know almost half of them by name in those days, that’s how tight I was with that community. At a time, people thought I was the president of all Okada guys in Nigeria but no; I was just their friend.
“So, yes, I support the ban since we haven’t managed to figure out our security stuff. You know everybody is feeling so unsafe. “
