Gokada Sacks Employees Over Okada Ban

The Lagos State Government’s decision to ban Okada and tricycles in the state from operating on major roads has made Lagos-based motorcycle-hailing startup, Gokada, to sack most of the workers that will result to mass unemployment.

The motorcycle transport service was launched in January 2018, by the founder Fahim Saleh to solve Nigeria’s largest city traffic problems.

Saleh said Gokada has gone on to raise a total of $5.6 million from two rounds and claims to have completed more than a million rides.

Gokada reportedly sacked most of its staff two days after the announcement of the ban on the 27th of January by the Lagos State Government.

Gokada CEO, Fahim Saleh, confirmed the layoffs, via a tweet.

“While much of your report is accurate,” the tweet reads, “We still have money in the bank and are pivoting towards deliveries while this transport ban gets sorted. We were due to make a profit in January before the ban was announced.”