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| Okada riders marching to the Presidency |
For over three hours, movement in
the capital city Yaounde came to a standstill. It was preferable to trek than
by car. Friday March 1, 2013 entered into the annals of history as the day thousands
of commercial motorbike riders from the national territory staged a march in
support of President Paul Biya. The “okada” riders as they are commonly known
expressed their gratitude to the head of state for mentioning them in his last
February speech to the youths. The 20th May Avenue in Yaounde to Carrefour du
palaise (entrance to the Presidency) were received upon arrival by the
Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh. Their messages
to President could be seen on some of the placards they carried along with
them. The most interesting thing is that the messages were written in some
local dialects from the ten regions of Cameroon. The national President of
commercial motorbike riders in Cameroon René Ntonefor K. Nguimo read a motion
of support to President Biya in which the riders expressed their support to
Biya for recognizing their efforts in facilitating the movement of people from
one destination to another especially in enclaved areas with no roads. The commercial
motorbike sector it should be recalled employs millions of Cameroonian youths
ranging from university graduates to secondary and primary school drop-outs. These
young men quite often are victimized by corrupted traffic police and Gendarmes.
Notwithstanding, the commercial motorbike sector is also floated by thieves who
snatch women handbags during late hours, aggresses passengers and some of them
are suspected to have been involved in ritual killings in Yaounde. However, as the sector is gradually giving
attention, and the riders are grouping themselves into professional groups,
they will help the police to fish out the bad grains among them. Especially as
President Biya in his speech instructed the Ministries of Youth Affairs and
Vocational training to submit proposals to inprove the welfare of commercial
motorbike riders, prospects are high.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa
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