Government continues to discount opposition leader John Dramani Mahama’s plan to legalize commercial motorcycle operations popularly known as Okada, should he win power in the December polls.

The promise to legalise Okada by the NDC has been well received by the Okada Riders Association but has received backlash from the NPP with vice-president Dr Bawumia saying the NPP government will provide cars for Ghanaians through car assembling companies in the country, instead of legalizing what he calls dangerous Okada business.

Also, the Deputy Information Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide, has referred to the NDC as backward-looking in the legalization of the transport service.

According to him, the service which originated from Nigeria has been banned in the country, whereas the NDC wants to adopt it.

Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr he said “I’ve been told that okada is a Nigerian word. Do you know when you go to several states in Nigeria, they have banned Okada and you want to go for it? For a lack of a better word, is the NDC not backward-looking?”

“The very people who created the whole concept of Okada, they are even running away from it and you are going back to it.”

He went on, “if you wanted to set standards for yourself, you do not look backward, you look forward. Instead of a multi-modal transport system involving good road, involving rail transportation, involving advanced intra-city transportation, that is why we are reinvesting in Metro Mass, they came and collapsed Metro Mass.”

“So, we are developing a country, and we are developing a modern and prosperous nation, we are not going back, we are setting high standards for ourselves,” he added