To ensure sanity on the popular Airport Road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) has commenced intensive enforcement of traffic and environment regulations.
The council also declared that henceforth, anybody that is driving counter traffic, will not only be told to go back but will be arrested and the vehicle impounded, just as it warned uniform personnel to desist from violating the traffic, as the enforcement against the violation is not a respecter of rank.
According to AMMC, no vehicle will be allowed to park or ply on an undesignated area, along the Airport Road, and no passenger should stand and flag a vehicle to pick him or her up except in an area designated for such.
AMMC coordinator, Umar Shuaibu, who made this known yesterday during the flag-off of the exercise, said the exercise, which is going to be continuous, had commenced with sensitisation of the public and engagement with the transport operators along the busy road.
Shuaibu said there were enough lay-bays along the road, sufficient to serve the public, but what is lacking is discipline, to make the environment decent.
“We engaged the stakeholders, which are transport operators along this road. We called them, and we have all agreed that this assignment is important, to make sure that sanity is restored.
“Whatever image you see on Abuja Airport Road, is the image of Nigeria. If the traffic along the Airport Road is free, Nigeria traffic is free; and if the Airport Road is clean, Nigeria is clean. So, we must make sure that it is clean and free, to have a very good image of our country.
“Second, the Airport Road is the one that conveys traffic from the north and south along the Kaduna-Lokoja expressway, so it has multiple roles. That’s why the traffic along this road is heavy.
“We are aware that most of these violations are committed by people in uniform. So, no matter your rank, enforcement against the violation is not a respecter of rank. We will make sure that we show an example.
“If you are a man in uniform, show an example to people that are not in uniform. So, anybody, no matter how highly placed, must respect our regulations.”
“Henceforth, anybody that is making the Airport Road unsafe and unclean, is going to be arrested. From now on, this exercise is going to be continuous. the officers in charge of this enforcement, we count on you. We need your support, to make it work,” he said.
On his part, the Road Transport Employers Association deputy national president, Chief Abubakar Sadiq, who described the exercise as a welcome development, said they are quite ready to cooperate in any form, to make sure that it is successful.
