Ayodele Olalere
The recent announcement by the Lagos State Ministry of Transport that vehicle owners in the state would be required to present their vehicles for physical examination before being issued a certificate of roadworthiness has been met with various reactions from a cross section of Lagosians.
The State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, had, in a stakeholders meeting, which took place at Vehicle Inspection Service, VIS, headquarters in Ojodu Berger, Lagos, said motorists would have to present their vehicles for physical inspection at designated computerised vehicle inspection centres across the state before they would be issued a road worthiness certificate.
Oladeinde said this would strengthen the safety of the roads by ensuring that all vehicles plying Lagos roads are road-worthy in line with one of the pillars of the THEMES agenda of Governor Sanwo-Olu, which is transportation.
“No one would be able to obtain road worthiness certificate anywhere in the state without the Vehicle Inspection Service, LACVIS, certifying such vehicles road worthy,” Oladeinde had said.
A few days after the announcement, some motorists began to express concerns over the new policy though it’s a known fact that in developed countries, governments take seriously the condition of vehicles that ply their roads so as to avoid cases of accidents caused by rickety vehicles.
Over the years, Lagos as the commercial centre of Nigeria, and like every other city in the country has been littered with vehicles that are not road worthy. Several motor accidents have been recorded as a result of lack of regular maintenance of vehicles by motorists, such as worn out tyres, weak engines and other things.
Reports show that many vehicle owners boycott the Vehicle Inspection Service, VIS, to get their vehicles certified. This has been attributed to the fact that many of the vehicles that ply our roads lack maintenance, and as such vehicle owners do not want to pay the penalty for not maintaining their vehicles.
Also the high cost of vehicle spare parts has pushed many vehicle owners to ‘manage’ their vehicles even when such vehicles clearly require repair.
Reacting to the latest development, Mr. Adekunle Adekoya, a Lagos-based motorist said while the expected computerised vehicle inspection by Lagos State government was a welcome development, he lamented the condition of roads in the state, adding that the government should first ensure the roads are motorable and in good condition before enforcing the new policy.
He argued that as long as the roads are not passable, vehicle owners would find it difficult to maintain their vehicles, which in turn would make it difficult for such vehicles to be certified fit.
He said: “From where I stand, desirable as computerised vehicle roadworthiness tests may be, it is ill-timed, punitive, capricious and calculated to siphon more money out of the pockets of motorists, who are already over-stretched.
“If cars and buses must be roadworthy, it is normal and justifiable to expect good roads. Just how many roads in Lagos State are car-worthy? Apart from the major arteries, many roads in the residential areas of the fully-built local government areas are in bad shape. Many of them are simply not motorable. The situation in the suburbs and outliers are far worse. Daily, citizens send messages to the radio stations, calling attention to the deplorable conditions of roads in their areas,” he lamented.
Citing an example, Adekoya said the Lagos-Badagry road, which is in bad condition, has damaged several vehicles. He wondered how such vehicles can pass the road worthiness test.
According to him: “Let me not talk about the horror being endured by people living in communities served by the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which itself is a disgrace to both the federal and state governments. Citizens in communities that use Old Ojo Road must be wondering what their offence is while people in Satellite Town and adjoining areas go to hell and back daily.
“Many citizens in Ajangbadi, Okokomaiko, Oko-Afo, Iyana-Ishasi, Agbara and onward to Badagry have abandoned their cars and houses due to transportation problems. It is that bad.
“Plying the bad roads daily, Lagos vehicle owners simply work to feed spare parts dealers and mechanics, who in turn smile daily to the banks? In addition, vehicle tyres get worn out on these bad roads faster than their life span, causing vulcanisers to make easy money from motorists. Should that be our lot?”
He also expressed worries at the quality of service that will be provided by government officials at the inspection office, as some officers might begin to extort motorists.
“Our people will not get service at these inspection centres. They will, in a matter of days, become business centres. In any case, what happened to the MOT initiative of the Tinubu administration? Isn’t governance supposed to be a continuum? That was friendlier. Why not revive it? Lack of motorable feeder roads is the bane of that policy.
“Most of the time, all of us are on the major arteries, which are longer because the feeders, which are shorter, are not motorable. More effort should be directed towards making traffic move in all parts of the megacity by tackling the devils that hold us ransom in form of agberos, okada riders, danfo drivers and truckers, who wreak mayhem on the roads daily. That is what the Ministry of Transportation should be doing, not inflicting more pains on vehicle owners.
“In fact, roadworthiness tests for vehicles without roads that are car-worthy are exploitative, inhuman, unjust, and cruel. Lagos State Government must stop that physical inspection directive now.”
Mr. Ranti Onabanjo, who lives in the Ajegunle area of the state, in his reaction, said the harsh economic situation has forced many vehicle owners to ‘manage’ their vehicles.
“I have abandoned my vehicle for over a year now because I don’t have money to fix it. What happens if after fixing it, I take it for inspection and it is certified fit and after some months later, because of bad roads , the car is damaged? Will I take it back for inspection again after fixing it again?
“While I agree that vehicles on the road must be fit to avoid accidents, the government should also fix the roads. We cannot keep repairing our vehicles and get them damaged by bad roads. How many people do you think have the money to repair all the faults in their vehicles? That’s the reason many are managing their vehicles,” he said.
A commercial vehicle (yellow bus) owner, Chike Uduji, said the government policy will not work, especially for commercial buses.
“How many yellow buses are really roadworthy? Do you think commercial drivers can fix all the faults in their buses? It’s not possible. Many are looking for daily bread, so they are managing their buses. I own a commercial bus and every week, I repair and buy new parts. Do you think I can take the vehicle for inspection every week? Government should make sure the roads are good to avoid wear and tear of vehicles,” he said.
Efforts to speak with Lagos State Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer, Mr. Akin-George Fashola, for reaction did not yield result.
