The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has blamed the Akwa Ibom State Government of compliancy in the proliferation of motor parks across the state.
The union said the relevant government agencies which should help enforce the laws against the operations and patronage of such illegal parks seem to instead promote the illegality.
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The Chairman of Itam Long Distance Park, Mr Austine Edet, also said government lacked the political will to stop the activities of touts who operate the illegal parks scattered across the state, particularly in Uyo, the state capital.
He said they encouraged drivers to pick passengers along the way thereby abandoning the government-approved parks.
He regretted that the five major parks in Uyo have practically been abandoned for the illegal ones in defiance to the law, adding, unfortunately there was no enforcement of the said law.
“It is government that is responsible for the illegal parks in the state. When it makes laws, it is not just making the laws but enforcing it.
“In the year 2000, the former governor of the state, Obong Victor Attah, completed five parks in Uyo metropolis and sent an Executive Bill to the State House of Assembly to ensure that nobody stayed outside the government-approved parks to load vehicles.
“This law was to enable the transport union to establish anti-touting miscellaneous offences task force so that nobody stayed outside the government park to load vehicles,” he said.
Some operators of the approved parks in Uyo have also blamed officials of the Ministry of Transport and Solid Minerals for the proliferation of illegal parks.
They lamented that it has contributed to the lack of passengers at the government parks and was responsible for the ministry’s inability to clamp down on the illegal parks located along Aka, Oron, Abak and Ikot Ekpene roads.
The operators, who preferred to remain anonymous, alleged that many of the illegal parks made remittances to senior officials of the ministry who in turn “protect” them.
They called on the state government to come to the aid of drivers and vehicle operators who have been patronising the government approved motor parks as the activities of the Illegal parks was impacting negatively on patronage to the legal parks and posed a threat to the security of passengers.
Effort to reach the Commissioner of Transport and Solid Minerals, Mr Etim Uno, to react to the allegations were not successful even after a letter for a scheduled meeting was sent to him at his request.
However, Akwa Ibom State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Oga Ochi, said the commission frowned at the non-usage of designated motor parks.
He revealed that plans were already in place to restrict the loading and off loading of commuters to the five recognised parks in Uyo before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the arrangement.
“We have a relationship with the State Ministry of Transport. We started something with them but unfortunately COVID-19 affected some of those activities.
“As it is, the prevalence of COVID-19 is still an issue in the country, and Akwa Ibom State, and because of that, the enforcement that would have taken off has not really taken off,” he said.
He said 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.
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