Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan
The Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority, OYRTMA, has revealed that the agency has impounded about 395 vehicles and 60 motorcycles between January and August, 2019.
Revealing this, Director, Administrative and Supply of the agency, Mr Tunde Aiki during the agency’s operations around Agodi-Gate Area of Ibadan on Wednesday August 21, 2019, stated that the Agency is responsible for the maintenance of the State’s road traffic laws as well as maintaining orderliness and control in the road traffic system of the state.
Speaking further, Aiki noted that the existence of the agency was not to generate revenue for the government through collection of fines from traffic law offenders as most people believe, but to increase the compliance level of road users to traffic laws.
He explained, “We have discovered that more commercial road users violate basic traffic laws, especially those who do not make use of the designated bus stops as their pick up or drop off points for passengers. Also, offences committed by private motorists are more grievous which include leaving one’s lane to face an oncoming vehicle and parking inappropriately on the road. We want to appeal to pedestrians and motorists to always take into consideration the safety of other road users as well as acquaint themselves with the traffic laws of the state”.
Meanwhile, some road users commended the agency for their efforts in ensuring a traffic friendly environment in the state but however called on the government to create more motor parks for both commercial and private users.
A private motorist, Mr Obinna Chukwu said “We know that what OYRTMA is doing is for the good and safety of everyone, but most times the unavailability of motor parks, especially for private motorists, causes a lot of issues. So if the government can build motor parks at designated and busy places in the state, it will go a long way to reduce the clumsiness on our roads”.
Another road user, who identified himself as Victor disagreed with the agency that it is not interested in making money for the government, stressing “they are more interested in making money for the government at times through illegal means than increasing the compliance level of road users to traffic laws”.
He noted that hardly is there any law enforcement agent in Nigeria that is not corrupt or does not extort money from the vulnerable Nigerians.
He said, “The Agency’s activities at times contravene the law of the land. They even extort money just like any uniform persons in all the nation’s security agencies. There was a time they stopped me and demanded for my documents. I gave them. I had just renewed my vehicle particulars at the internal revenue generation board located at the state secretariat. The new documents were not immediately handed over to me because they said that their machine had fault and they gave me documents to show for that. Despite the fact that the Vehicle Inspection Officer, VIO, who stopped me saw these documents, they still arrested me and took me to their Moniya Office. Right there, I called the revenue’s office and they confirmed that it was the office that has not given me the new documents because their machine had fault. Do you know that they still insisted that I will pay fine of N20, 000. At that point, I called one of the top government officials who lashed them for doing what was wrong and it was at that stage they let me go. Now what happens to people who do not know their rights or have anybody to call? I hate those guys”.
Victor called on the government of Seyi Makinde to monitor the Agency and others being used to generate revenue in the state and ensure that they do not subject the citizens to more hardship.