By Desire Emmanuel
The Cross River State government has banned the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) from road operations across the state, restricting their activities to office duties.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Mr Linus Obogo, the directive followed protests by commercial bus drivers and tricycle operators over high tickets, excessive fines and alleged harassment by enforcement teams.
The governor, who made other announcements in the sector, said the measures were approved after a meeting with key transport stakeholders.
According to the statement, other announcements made was the reduction of daily ticket fee from N850 to N500, while the penalty for failure to purchase the ticket had also been reduced to N10,000.
“All traffic-related fines are slashed by 50 per cent and must be paid only into designated government accounts. Daily tickets for tricycle riders have been reduced from N1,200 to N500.
“However, every activity of commercial tricycle operators ends at 6:00 p.m. daily, night operations are permanently banned,” the statement asserted.
The government said the review was aimed at easing the burden on drivers and restoring order in the state’s transport system.
The state government said the Commercial Transport Regulatory Agency (CTRA) would now focus on vehicle registration and sale of tickets at approved rates.
It noted that enforcement officers must operate only in proper uniforms and with verifiable identification.
The government directed the Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency (TRAMRA) to restrict its activities to statutory traffic management duties.
In addition, the government announced that “commercial bus drivers and tricycle riders will no longer purchase tickets on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.”
“These directives will take effect from March 9 and we urge all residents and transport operators to cooperate with relevant authorities,” the statement added.
However, some commercial drivers, who spoke on the development, said the statement did not address some activities of TRAMRA such as the illegal “no parking order” for drivers who only pick and drop passengers.
Johnson Ade, a commercial driver, said there should be an official release stating the traffic infractions in the state and the fine for each of them.
He said slashing the fines by 50 per cent was ambiguous, adding that the amounts to be paid for each crime should be clearly stated to prevent criminal elements who posed as government traffic regulatory officials from abusing the directive.
On his part, Mr Sunday Dennis, Metropolitan Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), said they would convene a meeting immediately to look at the governor’s statement.
