Akpan Umoh
The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Akwa Ibom State branch has expressed displeasure over the proliferation of illegal motor parks in the state.
The union alleged that there is complacency by the Akwa Ibom State Government in the proliferation of illegal motor parks across the state.
Speaking with journalists in Uyo on Tuesday, the chairman of Itam Long Distance Park, Mr Austine Edet, explained that the state government has shown lack of political to stop the activities of touts, who operate the illegal parks in Akwa Ibom State.
According to Edet, the relevant government agencies which should enforce the laws against the operations and patronage of such illegal parks seemed to promote the illegality.
The union leader added that the action of government has encouraged drivers to pick passengers along the roads and so abandoned the approved government parks.
He regretted that the five major motor parks within Uyo metropolis have practically been abandoned for the illegal ones in defiance to the law against it.
“It is the government that is responsible for the illegal parks in the state. When they make laws, it is not just making the laws but enforcing it.
“Sometimes between 2003 and 2007, the former Governor of the state, Obong Victor Attah completed five parks in Uyo metropolis.
“He sent Executive Bill to the State House of Assembly to ensure that nobody stays outside the government approved parks to load passengers.
“The law was Cap 55, Vol. 3, 2000. This law was to enable the transport union establish Anti-Touting Miscellaneous Offences Task Force, so that nobody stays outside the government parks to load vehicles,” Edet said.
Reacting to the alleged proliferation of illegal motor parks in the state, the Akwa Ibom State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Oga Ochi, stated that government frowns at the non-usage of the designated parks by drivers and commuters.
Ochi noted that he had met with the State House of Assembly Committee on Works and Transport on the matter.
He added that the committee had directed the corps to work with the relevant agencies to remove illegal motor parks from the metropolis.
He said plans were already in place to restrict the loading and off-loading of passengers to the five recognised parks in Uyo before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the arrangement.
“I had the privilege of addressing the Committee in the House of Assembly on the dangers of the existence of illegal parks.
“I think the Committee actually frowned at the existence of those illegal parks and had directed the FRSC to work along with other agencies of government to ensure those illegal parks are removed from the environment.
“We also have a relationship with the State Ministry of Transport. We started something with them but unfortunately COVID-19 affected some of those activities that we started with them.
“As it is, the prevalence of COVID-19 is still an issue in the country and Akwa Ibom State, because of that, the enforcement that would have taken off has not really taken off in the state,” Ochi said.
The sector commander said the proliferation of illegal motor parks was not healthy as it posed a security challenge to the corps and other security agencies.
According to him, the proliferation of illegal motor parks has hindered the monitor of influx of people in and out of the state.
He added that the proliferation also made it difficult to help where necessary in case of accidents or any emergency because of the lack of passenger manifest from transport operators.
He said that the effective use and regulation of passenger manifest by both transporters and the agency would not be possible with illegal motor parks littered across the state.
Efforts to reach the Commissioner of Transport and Solid Minerals, Mr Uno Etim Uno to react to the complacency on the part of state government was not successful.
Even when the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Nse Edem, directed that an official letter be forwarded to the ministry before the Commissioner could react was not successful, even after a letter for a scheduled meeting was sent to the commissioner.