The word “Okada” entered Nigeria’s transport lexicon not from the streets, but from the skies.
In the 1980s, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion launched Okada Air. It was named after his hometown, Okada in Edo State. The airline promised speed, no delays, and “door-to-door” convenience when Nigerian Airways was failing.
Nigerians loved the brand. “It’s as fast as Okada Air” became slang. When commercial motorcycles began flooding Lagos and Benin in the late 80s, riders copied the name to sell the same promise: speed, no traffic, get there now.
Thus, a corporate airline name infiltrated road transport. The man behind it, the Esama of Benin, never ran bikes. Yet his airline’s reputation birthed a national nickname.
Today, “Okada” means bike, not plane. That is how branding outlives business. And today, the word “Okada” is in the Oxford English Dictionary. Unalloyed appreciation to Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, Esama of Benin Kingdom. A kingdom, where kings are truly Kings.
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