Commercial motorcycle operators, known as Okada riders, have protested in Ondo State against the imposition of ₦6,000 emblem fee and ₦500 daily ticket by the Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa-led government.
The Okada riders who gathered at the entrance of the Government House in Alagbaka on Tuesday, alleged that multiple levies were imposed on them by the State government.
They described the levies as excessive and an unfair burden on their already difficult economic situation.
The riders explained that they have been made to purchase different emblems and stickers several times, while they are also required to pay a daily ticket of ₦500.
The Okada riders said they had paid for two different emblems in 2026 before another emblem was introduced on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
According to them, the first emblem sold in January, 2026 cost ₦2,000, while another emblem, reportedly introduced for the Ogun Festival, cost ₦1,000.
They said a fresh emblem was introduced on Tuesday at the rate of ₦3,000, bringing the total amount paid for emblems in 2026 alone at ₦6,000.
The riders also said that an additional ₦2,000 emblem was sold late in 2025, meaning that some operators spent as much as ₦8,000 on emblems within the period, apart from the ₦500 ticket they are required to pay every day.
“This year alone, we have collected two emblems from the state government and every day ₦500 ticket. The first emblem was ₦2,000, while the second one was ₦1,000, making it ₦3,000.
“Just this morning, we’re told that the state government is going to sell another emblem at the rate of ₦3,000 each.
“That will make it ₦6,000 this year. This is pure extortion from government,” one of Okada riders stated.
Similarly, another rider lamented that the situation had changed considerably from previous administrations, when the daily ticket was the main payment required from commercial motorcycle operators.
“You know, in Ondo State, during the time of Mimiko, the government of Mimiko, the council was tied to an association. So, at that time, it was an association that was in charge of the Okada riders there.
“During that time, there was nothing like an association where you just go outside. It was the state government that anchored the ticket, which was only a ticket. You would collect it for ₦150.
“They increased that ticket from ₦150 to ₦500 per day under when Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa,” he said.
The rider lamented that the introduction of multiple levies had added to the financial burden of the operators.
“Late last year, they sold an emblem. In January or February this year, they sold one at the rate of ₦2,000. The daily ticket is still there, so you collect the daily ticket of N500 every day.
“Then, not quite long, they sold an Ogun Festival sticker, that is, an emblem, again for ₦1,000, making it ₦3,000 this year.
“So, it was this morning that they just came that there would be another emblem. They said they would start selling the emblem today, and before we knew it, they started selling it,” the rider stated.
While comparing the current situation with the administration of the late former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, the commercial motorcycle operators said they did not pay multiple emblem charges during his time in office.
“In the years that the late Rotimi Akeredolu spent in office, there was nothing like emblem. The ticket was only ₦150.
“Now, they have sold emblems worth ₦6,000 within a year. It is not even up to a year because the one from last year was around November or December when they sold it.
“So, now, that ₦2,000 from last year, with this year’s ₦6,000, makes ₦8,000, while they are collecting ₦500 ticket every day,” they stated.
The riders also explained that the financial burden is particularly difficult for operators who acquired their motorcycles through hire-purchase arrangements.
According to the riders, the daily repayment for motorcycles, combined with fuel costs, food expenses and government levies, has made commercial motorcycle operation increasingly difficult.
They said the economic situation in the country had made the additional charges burdensome, urging the Ondo State Government to review the levies and stop excessive collections from commercial motorcycle operators.
The riders appealed to human rights organisations, civil society groups and relevant authorities to intervene, saying commercial motorcycle operators should not be subjected to multiple charges without adequate explanation or consideration of their economic circumstances.
As of the time of filling this report, the state government was yet to react to the development.
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