The Cross River State Government has banned the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) from road operations across the state.
Governor Bassey Otu, who made the announcement in Calabar on Saturday, restricted the VIO’s activities to office duties.
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According to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, 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.
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According to the statement, other announcements included a reduction in the daily ticket fee from N850 to N500, and a reduction in the penalty for failure to purchase the ticket to N10,000.
“All traffic-related fines will be slashed by 50 per cent and must be paid only into designated Cross River Government accounts.
“Daily ticket for tricycle riders has been reduced from N1,200 to N500. However, every activity of commercial tricycle operators ends at 6 p.m. daily; night operations are permanently banned,” Mr Otu asserted.
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He said the review was aimed at easing the burden on drivers and restoring order in the state’s transport system.
Speaking further, the governor said the Commercial Transport Regulatory Agency would now focus on vehicle registration and the sale of tickets at approved rates.
He noted that enforcement officers must operate only in proper uniforms and with verifiable identification.
He directed the Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency to restrict its activities to statutory traffic management duties.
In addition, the governor 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 I urge all residents and transport operators to cooperate with the relevant authorities.
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However, speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria, some commercial drivers said the statement did not address some activities of the Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency, such as the illegal “no parking order” for drivers who only pick and drop passengers.
Johnson Ade, a commercial driver in Calabar, said there should be an official release listing the traffic infractions in the state and the fines for each.
He said slashing the fines by 50 per cent was ambiguous, adding that the amounts to be paid for each offence should be clearly stated to prevent criminals who posed as government traffic regulatory officials from abusing the directive.
On Sunday, Dennis, the metropolitan chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, said his association would convene an immediate meeting to review the governor’s statement.
It would be recalled that a series of protests by commercial bus drivers and tricycle operators led the government to suspend all forms of transport tickets in the state.
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