OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR SIMON LALONG ON THE NEED TO ESTABLISH PLATEAU STATE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AGENCY ( PLASTMA).
Your Excellency, I must commend your efforts in completing the Dogon Karfe to secretariat junction road. It is my earnest prayers that you will continue with the original plan of dualizing the road down to Bauchi road with a flyover bridge at the British/ American junction.
Your Excellency sir, please permit me to bring to your attention the shameful & selective activities of men of the Nigeria Road Safty core in the city of jos.
Sir, I understand policies & rules of government are meant to be binding on all citizens wherever they may be.
However, I am deeply saddened by the corrupt activities of Road safety officers who select very peculiar neighborhoods to mount checkpoints. These officers are making good business collecting money from traffic offenders & diverting the same to their pockets ( i was once a victim). It’s disheartening how hard-hearted some of them have become turning deaf ears to pleas from even citizens with honest excuse & forcing them to part with some money or risk having their vehicles impounded.
Sir the road safety officers are notorious for mounting morning & evening checkpoints around the new dogon Karfe roundabout to the former civil defense office at Millionaire’s quarters down to lamingo junction near the NIMC office Rikkos to Stanel service station.
Other roads include fwavwei junction Rayfield, Yingi, Hwolshe down to the State Headquarters of the Nigeria police through to polo roundabout, just to mention a few.
Whereas, areas like Gangare, Dilimi, ungwan Rogo & Zololo junctions are completely left out of Road Safety officer’s route checks. This leaves some of us wondering if these are the only areas with traffic offenders.
Sir it will interest you to know that these are the same areas with the highest number of motorcycle operators still conducting business even with the ban on motorcycle operations still in force.
Sir gave this, I strongly advise that the Plateau State Government should create a Plateau State Traffic Management Agency ( PLASTMA) to take charge of roads within the state including Jos & Bukuru Metropolis. PLASTMA among others should be charged with the responsibility of checking vehicle papers as well as drivers’ licenses & defaulters should be charged with payments of fines which will help boost revenue generation to the State Government coffers as well as help create employment for the state unemployed youths.
Sir, may I bring to your remembrance that states like Lagos, Enugu & recently Kaduna have all created such agencies & revenues generated are sent straight to the state government accounts while officers of said agencies are recruited from the states.
Sir, I pray this gets to you for possible consideration.
Dogo Nanzing
( Sarkin Yakin Plateau).
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