KWARTMA: Experience of frustration(s) in disguise

By Ismail Ayodeji

The recent efforts and giant strides of the present adminstration to restore sanity and orderliness on major roads within Ilorin metropolis should be applauded and appreciated, the efforts will no doubt guarantee free flow of traffic, reduce congestion and include Ilorin in the comity of the organised capital cities in federation

However, the agency saddled with the responsibility of maintaining gridlock free in the state, Kwara State Road Traffic Management Authority, KWARTMA must see needs to perform their duties according to the ethics for which it was established to avoid ‘mix up’ in dealing with the general public or even violating their right to movement.

It’s no longer news that the government has renewed its ban on road side hawking and illegal parking around Post Office, Challenge, Maraba and Unity axis of Ilorin Metrololis. The Government as a palliative measure provided alternatives in Soludero Park for the affected petty traders and commercial bus operators but KWARTMA as an agency that will implement and enforce the directives is not doing enough in terms of effective publicity and adquate awareness on the areas affected by the ban.

Some of the S’Western states in Nigeria with the replica of this type of agency do embark on routine and effective publicity atleast 3 months before the enforcement of such ban and the compliance with the directive, apart from broadcast sensitization, there should be roadside billboards indicating where not to park incase of hastiness from the motorists. This awareness will go a long way in avoiding embarrassing law abiding citizens instead of the method adopted which create unnecessary tension, pandemonium and hatred between the agency (KWARTMA) and the public.

Moving forward, it was an ugly experience to be booked by KWARTMA for any road offence. When one is fined either the offence is genuine or just want to make money for the agency by ‘fire by force’, yiury vehicle tyres will be delibrately flattened, you will be presented with a long old invoice where your data and nature of the fine would be clearly stated, you will have to take the invoice attached with one of the already made generation banks teller to the bank for payment, if are lucky using a minimum of 30 minutes before finishing the transactions, returning to KWARTMA office again to change that teller to KWIRS receipt at the window side, yes at the window side, “who are you to enter their office? KWIRS official will change the teller to receipt and you will again go out to make the photocopy of both KWIRS receipt and teller before taking it to another office.

The desk officer will cross check all the photocopy documents with his eagle eyes to ensure it is completed, along the process of cross-checking the documents, distractions up and down of petty traders selling Banana, advertising to officer, disturbing the officer who’s attending to you, after checking might have been completed, you pay another two hundred naira for refilling your tyre which had been deliberately flatten as against one hundred naira in town (another exploitation or what?)

The agony of unnecessary zigzagging and chains in paying in bank, change of the receipt, photocopy the documents, deliberate poor attitude of officers, sluggishly attending to you is an indication to frustrate offender and to arouse their anger, all this planned rigorous act can be done in one office, get us bank official that will change the teller in KWARTMA office, photocopier machine operator on standby even if it will be commercialised as usual, if this measure is not put in place, it will amount to encouraging your officers to collect bribe from the offender as they will be pleased and preferred to bribe field officers handsomely than to face such frustrations and primitive ideas.

What surprise me most now is that where my car was recently towed has now turned to a bus stop of sort, without any sign of fine and prohibition from our KWARTMA. If you are in doubt of this fact, do a routine survey and patrol between Challenge and Maraba area to attest to my argument and submission. Enough of lip service, enforce the ban wholeheartedly and bring out the culprits in clean sheet.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.