Grace Nwafor
The Director, Vehicle Inspection/Road Traffic Office in Ekiti State, Engr. Olawale Ayegbusi has disclosed that the recent order issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja restraining the Directorate of the Road Traffic Services from stopping, impounding, or confiscating vehicles on the road is only for the FCT.
The Director, who stated this in an interview with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Monday said that the Road Traffic Law is a Residual Matter under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that gives every state the power to legislate their law.
On the part of professionalism and dedication of the VIO officers in the state, Engr. Adegbusi assured the state of the willingness of the officers to working tirelessly in ensuring that road crashes are reduced to the barest minimum.
He reiterated the State government’s commitment towards the effort through the provision of a computerized vehicle inspection centre in the State.
Director Ayegbusi stated that enforcing road traffic is not the only duty of the VIO as they also help in ensuring that vehicles in the state are road worthy, issue license and ensure that they are up to date.
Engr. Adegbusi however urged the general public to work with the VIO to ensure smooth traffic within the state and adviced the public to always table their complaints at the office of the VIO incase of any challenge.
His words: “This issue of road traffic law is a residual matter under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We have a concurrent, exclusive list and the residual matter.
“The residual matter is a state issue. It’s all the laws that concerns the state alone and Motor Vehicle administration is under residual matter which belongs to the state. It means every state is given power to legislate their law concerning any state. the judgement of that federal high court is only perculiar to the federal capital not every state.
“Ekiti has her Laws and the Law is intact, so it doesn’t deny Ekiti VIO to do their work because it is our constitutional rights to do our patrol and so on. The act of 1949 is the road traffic act that gave birth to VIO and since then, VIO has been doing their duties without any challenge.
“Maybe there is one issue concerning the law of federal capital, that is the law they are challenging, not Ekiti law. Although, we respect the law court but I believe FCT will appeal and maybe they can win their case again.
“We are professionals and trained officers and we are assuring the State that this period, the VIO wants to work tirelessly to make sure we reduce road crashes to the bearest minimum. That is why the state government have a computerized vehicle inspection centre in the state.
“At times we advise people to come for free inspection in the VIO office. Being on the road is not enforcing road traffick alone. We ensure that vehicles in the state are road worthy. We tell people what to do, we issue license and go to the road to check the license to ensure they are up to date.
“Meanwhile, VIO are enforcing road traffic which is the right of the citizens to their lives and property. VIO are friends of the general public as they have helped drivers discover faults in their vehicles which they are unaware of.
“We are advising the general public that VIO are their friends and should be free to table their complaints at the office of the VIO. We are working within the confines of the law.”