‘The nation failed us’ – Okada Riders’ PRO defends young riders caught between survival and the law

Vetting against criminal records Pressed on how the Association plans to weed out riders who use motorbikes for crime, Wadja described a membership vetting process requiring a Ghana Card, two guarantors, one from the applicant's family, and verification of the rider's base station, with the Association liaising with the Ghana Police Service to check for existing criminal records before issuing a membership card.

Public Relations Officer of the Okada Riders Association, Evans Wadja, said for years, operating an Okada in Ghana meant operating outside the law and outside any formal support system too.

Okada Riders alone cannot do it,” he said It is an acknowledgement, in effect, that self-regulation by an association with no statutory enforcement power can only go so far, and that the credibility of the entire legalisation push may ultimately rest on how well government, police and riders coordinate once the new rules take effect.