Vehicles Inspection Officers (VIOs) will perform better and be more productive if they get better support from both the state governments and the federal government.
This was the position put forward by the National Chairman of Conference of Directors/Chief Road Traffic Officers of the Federation (VIOs), Engr. Paul Bepeh, at the recently held 5th National Conference of Directors/Chief Road Traffic Officers of the Federation (VIOs) held at Lokoja, Kogi state.
In his welcome address, the VIO chief said transportation is the pillar of economic growth in any nation as it connects people to production which results in development.
He stated that, “Our conference theme is ‘Leveraging on Technology as a Tool for Motor Vehicle Administration to Enhance Road Safety, Security and Revenue.’ There is no better time to discuss this issue because our cities are growing rapidly with transformative challenges requiring intelligent transportation system solutions for citizens’ convenience and sustained economic growth.
“As the world is evolving into a new phase of transport technology dynamics for efficiency, safety, sanity and security, Nigeria must not lag behind. I call on the government at all levels to support the VIOs via training, funds, equipment and most importantly with sacrosanct legislation and policies to empower our officers to perform their duties without undue structural and systemic interference.”
The Lokoja conference was a three day event which spanned from Tuesday 25th to Thursday 27th October. It is an annual congregation of critical stakeholders in Motor Vehicle Administration and road traffic safety in Nigeria, usually attended by over 500 Directors/Chief Road Traffic Officers from across the country and the FCT, to deliberate on the topical issues affecting the Road Transport sector of the economy. The conference also featured keynote speaking sessions, panel sessions and breakout sessions.
