ONDO State Government recently birthed a drivers/riders institute in Akure, the first of its kind in West Africa. The institute, located in Oba-Ile, a suburb of the state capital, is to serve as a formal training institution for both vehicle and motorcycle drivers.
ANNOUNCING the takeoff of the institute in Akure, Special Adviser to Governor Akeredolu on Transport, Mr. Tobi Ogunleye, disclosed that the institute would rehabilitate, orientate, socialise and educate drivers and Okada riders in the state. He also announced that the state government was introducing an on and offline automobile auction market for those who want to buy or sell automobiles. The Special Adviser added that the novel auction market, also first in Nigeria, would ensure buyers derived proportionate utility for money spent buying used vehicles and it would also guarantee that vehicles bought were not stolen.
THE state government’s initiative is laudable for the following reasons: first, the institute is a novel idea which provides avenue for the training of not just the motor vehicle drivers but notably motorcycle drivers popularly known as Okada riders. This is because there have been existing training opportunities for motor vehicle drivers mostly run by private individuals at the informal sector and a few formal educational institutions offering courses on transportation while motorcycle riders are left untrained.
SECOND, the frequent carnages on our roads are traceable to the human error caused by drivers as a result of ignorance, lack of requisite skills as well as lawlessness that characterize the attitude of most men and women behind the wheels who flout traffic rules and regulations with reckless abandon. Third, it would give room for quality control and certification of drivers of various vehicles and motorcycles in the state.
ANOTHER benefit of the government’s initiative is that vehicles offered for sale at the auction market would be subjected to integrity test by the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) with computerised diagnosis to ascertain the faults and the value of the vehicles with a view to bringing an end to the era of people buying faulty cars for substantial amount.
THE HOPE sees the creation of this institute as timeous and a product of leadership with vision and right judgment on the part of the Akeredolu-led administration in Ondo State. We also commend the efforts of government officials in the transport ministry and departments in translating the governor’s vision into reality.
TO make the institute stand the test of time, government should run it on a public-private partnership arrangement as government direct involvement in business, in most cases, do not work for obvious reasons. Thus, to remove bureaucratic and administrative bottlenecks occasioned by corruption, government must bring in private investment and involvement to drive the initiative while it serves as the regulator and policy maker. This, no doubt, will make the institute to outlive the current political leadership in the state.
MOREOVER, government as a regulator should ensure that the cost of accessing the training facility is fair and affordable to all and sundry given the financial status of the potential trainees who are mostly low income earners. This is because, if the cost of training is too high, it would discourage members of the public who would rather patronize informal driving schools for those who care while Okada riders who constitute greater risks on the township roads will be left untrained.
FURTHERMORE, the institute, in form and content, should be designed and structured to train drivers and riders at both secondary and tertiary levels with requisite certification that will qualify its graduates to train others at different levels of driving. If this is done, owners and operators of private driving schools can enroll at the institute for formal training and refresher courses that enhance their performance thereby improving the quality of driving in the state and Nigeria.
THE HOPE also calls on government to as a matter of policy make it a requirement that henceforth, all drivers to be employed in its ministries, departments and agencies get certification from the institute as a condition for their engagement.
ABOVE ALL, there should be effective cooperation and synergy between the institute and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) as well as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the procurement and renewal of driver’s licences for quality control with a view to ensuring that only those who qualify and are certified to drive are indeed permitted to be behind the wheels in the state.