Akeredolu: working the roads for safety

By Fisayo Falodi
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A major development aimed at ensuring continued safety of lives and properties birthed in Ondo State on Friday, May 24, 2019 when Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, inaugurated a Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre in Akure, the state capital.

The new innovation is part of the pragmatic steps taken by the Akeredolu’s government to fulfill his campaign promises.

It will be recalled that before the introduction of the new technology for vehicle inspection, all classes of vehicles, including private and commercial, were examined and inspected manually.

Consequently, the results of such manual inspections were not completely accurate because of perceived manipulations. This therefore gave rise to a situation whereby unfit and poorly maintained vehicles were given certificates of road worthiness to ply roads across the length and breadth of Ondo State.

However, the era of such a practice in which  certificates of road worthiness were awarded to owners of vehicles without the necessary and mandatory test has gone for good in the Sunshine State.

The governor’s decision to introduce technology to determine the worthiness of all kinds of vehicles plying roads in the state is to ensure the vehicles’ reliability, and continued safety of lives and properties.

 Speaking during the inauguration of the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre in Akure on Friday, Governor Akeredolu said the safety of lives and properties of all those using roads in the Sunshine State are paramount in his administration’s considerations.

The governor, who made it clear that the computerised vehicle inspection centre was meant to serve all classes of owners of vehicles,  including private, corporate, commercial, government, traditional and religious leaders at all levels, added that all the vehicles would be subjected to the same tests as required by experts.

He said: “Nobody will be allowed to peddle influence. No official will be allowed to compromise the process. Our roads must be made safe for our people.”

On other benefits derivable from the facility, Akeredolu said: ‘Technology and scientific-based evaluation and analysis of matters are always more accurate and more reliable.

“They produce faultless results based on objective parameters set for the purpose of evaluation.

“Human judgement are prone to subjective considerations. Technology is immune to extraneous influence.

“Machines or computers are not likely to be susceptible to negative manipulations or influence by nature, socio-economic, political or environmental factors.”

The governor, however, allayed the likely fear of artisans in the state, especially, mechanics, electricians and other related experts that the project was designed to render them jobless.

He said: “The project is not designed to render you jobless and idle. It will rather enhance the practice of your professions as the various centres across the state shall serve as referral centres to all certified mechanical and auto-electrical workshops.

Some artisans who were present at the inauguration of the computerised vehicle inspection centre on Friday hailed the new innovation as the right and the best thing to happen to Ondo State.

According to them, adequate utilisation of the centre will reduce the number of hours spent by auto mechanics and others to fix faulty vehicles.

They were of the strong belief that any artisan that would want to remain relevant in his profession should endeavour to embrace technology.

Adedeji Emmanuel, Akinjide Akinbobola and Dayo Olufemi  are some of the competent auto mechanics in Akure. In spite of their competency, they said the adoption of the new technology would guarantee accurate diagnosis of vehicles and eliminate guess work among auto mechanics.

Akinbobola specifically asked the governor to fulfill his promise of having the new technology installed in all the 18 local government areas of Ondo State.

Motorists too have welcomed the innovation. They said they would not only patronise the computerised vehicle inspection for necessary diagnosis of their vehicles, the innovation would save them a lot of time and prevent them from wasting their resources, especially money.

Fisayo Falodi is the Press Secretary (Print) to Governor Akeredolu