By Olatunde Ajayi
Ibadan – Mogaji Akin Fagbemi, the Executive Chairman, Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA), says there is no basis of comparing the state with others in ensuring safety on all roads within the state.
Fagbemi made the assertions in a statement in Ibadan, while reacting to a publication accusing the agency of financial infractions.
He said that in the state, “there is absolute respect for law and order”.
According to him, no amount of intimidation or interference will stop the Authority from executing its constitutional responsibilities of ensuring safety on all roads in Oyo State and issuing fines to defaulting groups or individuals to serve as deterrent to others.
“If you so much love the public of whom sympathy you now seek, you would not have allowed your member to jeopardise the lives and properties of the people of Oyo State for such a long time.
“As a matter of fact, you will not only pay the Service Charges to the owners of the Crane and lowbed equipment used in removing the container.
“You will also pay One Million Naira only as official fine for contravening Sections 16 and 17 of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority Law, 2009.
“In addition, you will pay in full for the damages caused the body and properties of those innocent road users whose vehicles were damaged in crashes caused by the abandoned container. This is Oyo State. We have laws guiding us and our operations”, Fagbemi said.
He described the said publication as “a distorted narration of events and spurious allegations that represents only a figment of the imagination of the writer to dent, embarrass and discredit the Authority and by extension the Government and people of Oyo State”.
In the said publication, one Adeyinka Aroyewun, identified as the National President, Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA), had in a letter addressed to Gov. Seyi Makinde, alleged that OYRTMA demanded payment of N850,000 into a private account.
Fagbemi said: “This is not only laughable, it is clearly a well-orchestrated attempt to drag the reputable name of the Authority and government in the mud by distorting facts.
“This is a in a bid to curry undeserved public sympathy after subjecting the lives and properties of the same general public to untold hardship and dire risks for over three weeks.
“The public may recall the uproar generated by the prolonged abandonment of a gigantic and fully loaded container along Efunsetan Roundabout, Challenge, Ibadan, the state capital for over three weeks, despite OYRTMA’s frantic efforts to evacuate the item considering the immense danger it posed to the environment and the motoring public.
“It may also be recalled that it took the intervention of the Government of Oyo State to prevail on the police to allow us remove the container after about three weeks of back and forth to conclude investigations into the road crash that resulted into the fallen container.
“With the benefit of hindsight, the public may also recall that the Authority, having obtained necessary cooperation with the police and the Federal Road Safety Corps, swiftly moved to evacuate the container on March 30, 2023 in full public glare and with the services of hired privately owned crane and lowbed service providers from another state since such was not readily available in Ibadan as at the time.”
According to him, immediately after the evacuation exercise, on March 31, 2023, the owners of the container led by Alhaji Abdul-Mumeen visited our Executive Chairman, Mogaji Akin Fagbemi, to tender unreserved apologies to the people and Government of Oyo State for their inability to swiftly resolve circumstances that debarred them from removing the container in due course.
“They regretted the inconveniences caused the motoring public and assured the government of their readiness to pay for the service charges incurred by the Authority in hiring the crane and lowbed service providers from another state.
“They as well agreed to payment of official fine of One Million Naira issued by the state government through OYRTMA for infractions of Sections 16 (a,b,c,p) and 17 (d) of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority Law 2009,” he said.
According to him, in a twist of events, the aforementioned National President of the Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA), Adeyinka Aroyewun, on Wednesday visited OYRTMA’s Administrative headquarters to secure the release of the container.
He quoted Aroyewun as saying: “it is shocking that with our plea and influence, this container is not released without fines.
“I will call the Governor myself and secure its release.”(NAN/vitalnewsngr.com)
