The young men driving okada motorbikes offer an alternative taxi service in the Nigerian capital Lagos. They weave at top speed with their passengers on the back through the often congested and poorly maintained streets of the most densely populated city on the African continent. The Nigerian government banned okadas in 2020, and hundreds of them have been confiscated. The work itself is dangerous, too: they are often involved in accidents, and are sometimes deliberately run off the road.
In Machine Boys, several okada riders talk about why they continue anyway. The main reason is that it pays well—one rider explains that it enabled him to fund his studies. It remains a lucrative business model, even including the bribes they have to pay the police to continue driving.
But clinging to this forbidden subculture is about more than just earning money, suggests director Karimah Ashadu, using imagery that nods to the romance of gangster life. The okada riders are proud entrepreneurs who keep their motorbikes in top condition—they even give them names. With God on their side they will continue to defy the dangers of Lagos.
Stills
