In a move to strengthen grassroots healthcare delivery, the Abeokuta South Local Government has commenced the distribution of health insurance cards to commercial motorcycle (Okada) riders and passengers, with Atiku Abubakar a rider in the metropolis, among the first beneficiaries.
Chairman of the council, Hon. Balogun Olaniyi Afeez (BOA) while flagging off the scheme at the Council Secretariat on Wednesday, described it as a replication of the Ogun State Government’s policy of inclusive healthcare for all segments of society.
He said “We have been working on this scheme since assumption of office. This is part of the governor’s commitment to the people, and all we have done is to replicate it at the grassroot level.
He added that the initiative has been extended to the informal sector, covering all Okada riders and their passengers, with the council paying the policy costs upfront.
” We have gone further to accommodate the informal sector, meaning all Okada riders, including their passengers can be covered in this scheme.
“I am sure this is why they are happy for it to work. Now they have a solution to accidental care, which hiterto has been a burden to them”, he added
“We as the local government have paid for the policies upfront all we are doing now is onboarding who ever is interested.
Speaking on the broader scope of the initiative, Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government, Hon. Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo, said the scheme would be gradually enforced as part of a behavioral change process.
“We are not going to shy away from it. With time, it will be enforced because it is a risk for anybody to be on the road. We are not compelling anybody but explain that it is important to have it .
“Enforcement is not the first thing,this is a process, and what we have done with Okada will also go for taxis and buses,” he explained.
The Seriki Hausa of Egbaland, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Hassan, welcomed the scheme on behalf of the Arewa community, expressing appreciation to the government for easing the burden of caring for accident victims.
He assured of full compliance among his people and advised passengers to patronize only insured riders.
Beneficiary Atiku Abubakar described the programme as a welcome development that would greatly benefit riders, while another beneficiary, Umar Muhammad, hailed it as a long-awaited intervention.
“We have been looking for this kind of initiative for the past twenty years. Before, if something happened to us, we spent up to ₦200,000. We really appreciate our chairman for it,” Muhammad said.
