Plateau Govt To End VIO, Motorists’ Recurring Face-off

Plateau State government has reiterated its commitment to ending the incessant confrontations between the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) and motorists plying Bukuru/Jos metropolis in the state capital
It announced the planned return of VIOs to the roads next week after a suspension triggered by a series of confrontations between the officials and motorists.

The state commissioner for Transport, Hon. Davou Jatau, made the disclosure during an engagement between officials of the Ministry of Transport, VIO sand journalists in Jos.

Jatau said the agency would begin with road-safety sensitisation before returning to full enforcement, as the government seeks to address complaints about VIO officials’ conduct and reduce the confrontation with motorists.

The state government suspended VIO activities last week following incidents involving its officials and members of the public.

Jatau said the suspension was intended to enable the government to engage the stakeholders, understand public concerns and identify areas requiring correction before the officers returned to the roads.

He said the government was also concerned about the consequences of keeping VIO officials off the roads, noting that some people had taken advantage of the suspension to engage in activities that could undermine road safety.

“Since Monday, the officers have been off the roads. During this period, we have also had people making a case for their return because of the consequences of their absence,” he said.

According to the commissioner, two incidents involving assaults on VIO officials occurred within less than a week, one at Constitution Hill and another on Ahmadu Bello Way.

Jatau, however, acknowledged that members of the public had also had negative experiences with some VIO officials.

“We want to hear directly from you so that when the officers return to the roads, we will not continue experiencing the same negative incidents,” he said.

The VIO director said the agency had reviewed complaints from members of the public, including reports made on social media, and was working on a different approach to enforcement.

He said VIO officers would not necessarily be stationed at every point on every road when operations resume, adding that deployment would be determined by road-safety needs and activities in different locations.

“We are reviewing our previous operations to determine how best to make our approach more holistic,” he said.According to him, the agency had also observed that a significant number of road accidents occurred on rural roads and other areas where VIO officers did not regularly operate.

He said those areas would receive greater attention when the agency resumes.

“We will begin with a round of road-safety sensitisation,” the director said.

“We want to build trust and let the public know that we are working for their safety. We are not out to harass anybody.”

Jatau said the government would establish a dedicated telephone line before the resumption to enable motorists and other members of the public to report misconduct by VIO officials and seek rapid intervention.

He said VIO already operated a WhatsApp platform for complaints, but that the platform had been undermined by unrelated and political messages.

The commissioner said fines collected by VIO were remitted to the appropriate government authorities.