Ebonyi State House of Assembly Committee on Works and Transport has met with the management of Onitsha South Mass Transit over alleged incessant road crashes along the Abakaliki-Afikpo Express road which have claimed many lives
The chairman of the committee, Hon Joseph Ununu said that the invitation followed a petition by some victims of the fatal road crashes who alleged reckless driving by the drivers of the company and the use of faulty vehicles to convey passengers to their different locations within and outside the state by the company.
Hon Ununu who is also the member representing Abakaliki South state constituency maintained that the invitation has afforded the company the opportunity to defend itself against the petition adding that it was not intended to witch-hunt anyone or group of individuals.
“From the content of the petition, we have at our disposal, the petitioners alleged that the drivers of the transport company may be either inexperienced or driving recklessly with faulty buses which exposes their passengers to danger of unexpected occurrences.
“The hearing was necessitated by the yearnings of the petitioners to know the reasons for the causes of the accidents on the particular road and how to proffer solutions to them.”
The vice chairman of the committee and member representing Afikpo North East Constituency Hon Ukie Ezeali said that apart from the petition that was submitted to the committee from his own constituents, there has been frequent fatalities on the road which calls for urgent attention.
“The House must investigate the root causes of these accidents. However, the unwarranted anxiety on the part of the drivers could be what is leading to these accidents.”
He added that it is also their curiosity to know how the management of Onitsha South is handling the victims especially those that have lost their loved ones as a result of the recklessness of the transport company.
The administrative manager of Onitsha South Transport Company, Hon Martin Mgbodika while responding to the committee maintained that the company takes good care of its vehicles and follows procedures of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in recruiting drivers.
The company also apologized for the ugly incident that took the lives of some people adding that the company will look further into ways of operating on the road to be more safety conscious.
The committee thereafter slated 4th of February ,2025 for the company to meet with the them and to also discuss with the victims of the accidents.
