A fresh leadership crisis has erupted at the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) in the Federal Capital Territory, following the retirement of its director, Dr Abdul Lateef Bello, yesterday.
Shortly after the pulling-out parade held in his honour at the Mabushi headquarters, aggrieved staff and members of the Traffic Transparency Initiative protested the decision to hand over administrative control to the deputy director in charge of operations.
The group, led by its coordinator, Eke Nnamdi, in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend yesterday described the handover as a breach of seniority and professionalism.
According to them, the deputy director of procurement, followed by the deputy director of human resources, are the rightful senior officers to act in the interim, not the Operations Deputy.
“Many officers are aggrieved but cannot speak out because of civil service rules. We have taken it upon ourselves to channel their concerns to the appropriate authorities,” Nnamdi said.
The group urged the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to personally intervene in the succession process to ensure transparency and fairness.
They further insisted that only transportation experts, mechanical engineers, and other related professionals should be considered for substantive appointment as DRTS Director if standards are to be upheld.
The crisis comes at a time when the directorate has been grappling with revenue shortfalls following a Federal High Court judgment halting its road operations.
Although the verdict has been appealed, the case has continued to affect the agency’s image and revenue drive.
The initiative also appealed to Wike to increase funding for the DRTS to boost efficiency.
They called for the suspension of the online number plate registration system, citing frequent network failures that have diverted revenue to neighbouring states such as Kaduna, Niger, and Nasarawa.
In addition, the group urged the Federal Road Safety Corps to hasten the supply of driver’s licences, noting that delays lasting up to one year were compounding DRTS’s financial troubles.
“The directorate is already divided because of the current development. If urgent steps are not taken, the situation could worsen,” the group warned.
