Group Advocates for the Establishment of Motor Vehicle Administration Directorate in all States’ Ministry of Road Transport

Paschal Emeka

Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (APRI), a Road Traffic Safety Advocacy group is calling on State Government Road Transport Commissioners to rejig their respective Ministry of Transport to improve on its constitutional mandates. In a press release arising from the groups resolution as adopted, the group is urging and advocating that State Government Ministry of Transport should adopt and to comply with the relevant provisions of CAP 548LFN, Road Traffic Act to establish their respective Motor Vehicle Administration Directorate in the Ministry of Transport, being the responsible agency.
Prince Fidelis Nnadi disclosed that the organization (APRI) in it’s resolution adopted at its Executive meeting held in August 2023 resolved that State Governments in Nigeria should adopt the generally accepted road traffic crash prevention measures by establishing a functional Motor Vehicle Administration Directorate in all the States Ministry of Transport to improve on road crash prevention measures and increase in its road transport revenue generation to fund road traffic enforcement operations.
Prince Fidelis Nnadi who also is the National Consultant for the National Conference of Directors/Chief Road Traffic Officers of the Federation on Capacity Building and Public Affairs Advocacy, tasks the Transport Commissioners of States and their Attorney Generals to come up with relevant regulations to ensure that the State Ministry of Transport align with international resolutions on road traffic matters including the United Nations Decade of Action policy for road Safety that mandates States to promote efforts in the reduction of road traffic crash deaths and injuries to a drastic level of 50% down from year 2020 to 2030 of which the establishment of Motor Vehicle Administration Directorate is part of achieving the mandate objectives. Accordingly, Nnadi draws the attention of Nigeria Transport Commissioners to the various resolutions of Africa Ministers of Transportation on the establishment Motor Vehicle Administration as part of achieving road traffic safety goals.

Arising from the deliberations on current trends in Nigeria Road traffic and safety sector, the group equally frowns at the current low level performance of Road Traffic/Vehicle Inspection officers in some States, stressing that their State Government are yet to equip the agency and officers with the required technology, operational vehicles and manpower to function optimally. This has affected the continuous impunity by some drivers that violate road traffic resolutions that is increasing the volume of road crash deaths and injuries where the National statistics of road crash deaths and injuries is catapulting on highest level.
We cannot continue to fold hands while innocent road users are crushed on our roads caused by inadequate but affordable resources for officers to enforce road traffic regulations of States for the safety of road users.
Lamenting further, Prince Fidelis Nnadi disclosed that the States are loosing huge road transport revenue which in most cases are being harnessed and harvested by some non-state actors in the sector.
It will be in the interest of State Government Ministry of Transport and society when the establishment of Motor Vehicle Administration in all the States/FCT is implemented as such establishment has been guaranteed by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Road Traffic Act CAP 548LFN and other international resolutions, Nnadi said.
The group, in it’s further deliberations condemn the current efforts by some States to implement and enforce proof of vehicle ownership annual renewal for a fee which to a large extent is yet to be disclosed of its legal backing by any Federal or State legislation even though the proof of ownership is an item of Motor Vehicle Administration that is a residual matter in Nigeria Constitution, Nnadi concluded.