OGUN ASSEMBLY MOVES TO CHECKMATE RECKLESS DRIVING, INCESSANT KILLINGS BY TRUCK DRIVERS

Concerned by the high rate of avoidable accidents caused by trucks and articulated drivers leading to loss of lives, Ogun State House of Assembly has convened a stakeholders’ meeting, to deploy holistic approach towards checkmating recklessness and overbearing

attitudes of some drivers on roads across the State.

The meeting, held at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, was at the instance of the State Assembly’s Committee on Transport, led by Hon. Oludaisi Elemide, had in attendance, the State’s Commissioner of Police (CP), Kenneth Ebrimson, represented by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Muyideen Obey, as well as the Chief Executive Officer and Corps Commander, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, (TRACE), Commander ‘Seni Ogunyemi.

Elemide noted that there was need to amend the various transport related laws, including that of TRACE, to instill sanity in the system, while calling for a return of Weigh Bridge by government at the entry of cities and towns, to checkmate overloading of trucks, which often causes damages to the roads.

According to him, trucks and articulated drivers always intimidate other road users, causing avoidable accidents which often lead to death, explaining that there was need to enforce installation of speed limit devices in vehicles and strengthen relevant laws, to ensure that erring drivers face the full weight of the law.

In his presentation, the CP affirmed that the State, being the industrial hub and gateway to Northern and Southern States, often experienced massive inflow of traffic, requesting for intelligent advocacy and increase in sensitization programmes for drivers, to orientate them on traffic rules and regulations.

Calling for improved database for all categories of vehicles, Ebrimson sought for a more robust synergy between the law enforcement agencies and the Judiciary, with a view to speeding up the arraignment and subsequent prosecution of erring drivers, emphasising the need to review issuance of drivers’ licence, to streamline illegal access to it by unqualified individuals, especially heavy-duty truck drivers. 

Contributing, the TRACE Commander, ‘Seni Ogunyemi, stressed the need for the Federal Government to allow State Governments take over the management of intra-city roads, to ensure effective maintenance and monitoring, adding that inter-agency collaboration among road traffic enforcement agencies would further reduce road crashes and its attendant consequences.

In the same vein, the House Committee on Public Account and Anti-corruption, led by Hon. Musefiu Lamidi has enjoined the Management of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, to put in place, a more effective mechanism in the running of the tertiary health facility.

Hon. Lamidi gave the advice, while playing host to the management of the institution, led by the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Peter Adefuye at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, as part of the ongoing consideration of the Auditor’s reports for 2018 and 2019.

He enjoined them to be more proactive in the documentation of their financial reports and other records, as well as ensure continuous tracking of other facilities.