Lagos retrains VIOs as LACVIS decorates ambassadors

Vehicle inspection officers in Lagos are currently undergoing
retraining in the use of modern technology to assist them to
effectively discharge their duties, the state Commissioner for
Transportation, Mr Ladi Lawason, has said.

Lawason, who hinted about the return of the VIOs after the
special training being handled by local and foreign experts, spoke
in Lagos as the state Computerised Vehicle Inspection Service
decorated eight ambassadors expected to complement its efforts in
encouraging motorists to bring their vehicles for regular
inspection and certification.

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, ordered the VIOs out
of the state roads a couple of months ago following public outcry
against their manner of operation.

The commissioner said the retraining of the VIOs was to bring
them up-to-date with what obtained in the advanced countries,
adding that a lot of reengineering of the system and public
enlightenment would be done.

Lawanson, who spoke as a guest on the state traffic radio’s
morning programme, ‘Side Mirror’, hinted that the return of the
VIOs to the roads would not be immediate.

At the presentation and decoration of eight ambassadors of
LACVIS on Tuesday, he said the project was aimed at working with
individuals across all sectors that were promoting safety,
especially on the road.

He said with about two million vehicles on the road, the
existing regulators were grossly inadequate to do the work,
appealing to “motorists to behave more responsibly and cooperate
with the regulators.”

The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Taiwo Salami, said all the
ambassadors were found worthy and told they had been given the
power to call for the arrest of all errant motorists on the
roads.

The Director, Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service, Gbolahan
Toriola, stressed the need for cooperation among all stakeholders,
adding that safety remained a collective responsibility.

Toriola urged both motorists and auto technicians not to cut
corners, stressing that having safe vehicles on safe road was a
task that must be jointly achieved.

The Managing Director of LACVIS, Segun Obayendo, described the
safety ambassador project as an advocacy programme initiated “to
encourage motorists to imbibe a high level of maintenance culture
through voluntary presentation of vehicles for inspection at any of
the LACVIS centres in Lagos State.”

He said the agency had observed the chosen ambassadors’ keen
interest and tenacity with which they had pursued safety-related
issues within the three years of LACVIS operation.

The new ambassadors are the Lagos State Chairman, Nigeria
Automobile Technicians, Jacob Fayeun; Chairman, Motor Mechanic and
Technician Association of Nigeria, Marufu Arowolo; Chief Executive
of Towdah Limited, Patrick Adenusi; a transport journalist (print),
Adeyinka Aderibigbe; another transport journalist (broadcast),
Adebowale Yusuf (aka Iya Shawama); Executive Director, Mediareach,
Yinka Adebayo; and musicians – Sulaimon Adio (aka Atawewe) and John
Asiemo (aka Daddy Showkey).

Giving his impression of the event, Daddy Showkey, in an
interview with our correspondent, said, “I feel happy being
decorated as LACVIS ambassador. Asking me to be a face for them
means that one is still relevant. In Nigeria, people use cars, they
don’t know the condition. It is like our health. It is important to
know the state of your vehicle and quickly fix the problems and
prevent a serious calamity. I’ll take this message to the
people.”

Another LACVIS ambassador, Adenusi, said, “Safety crusade is my
life. It’s a good one. As much as I can, I will continue to take
this to the next level.”