Iam deeply attracted to certain appreciable qualities of the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha. In apparent response to the wishes and aspirations of Imolites, who he holds their mandate to be at the Douglas House, the seat of power of the state government, Okorocha has a listening ear to certain public outcry and complaints. In line with his desperate bid to avoid backlash from the masses in the course of being chief servant of the people under the Rescue Mission project, the Imo State governor continues to adopt soul-winning measures in the act of governance.
The recent sanction placed on the activities of Imo State Transport Management Authority, ISTMA, is a classical example of Okorocha’s response to public sympathy. Few months after operation, ISTMA which is a creation of law guaranteed by the Imo State House of Assembly, is receiving suspension hammer from the Executive Governor of the state.
ISTMA’s suspension was not a surprise package to a reasonable percent of Imolites like me. I saw it coming. A week to the Governor’s decision to clamp down the activities of the agency, I had began a write up on ISTMA. My desire to comment on Imo Traffic Management Agency began late last year when I took a cursory study of the sordid activities of the agency as well as an interaction I had with a staff of the government owned outfit. The zeal to air my views on ISTMA however got a boost two weeks ago when one of my partners and Editor-in-Chief in Trumpeta, Henry Ekpe came in with a story that the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Traffic Officer, Don Onwukaike asked the public to report any ISTMA official involved in dishonest acts like bribery and graft-taking. I told him (Ekpe) that my next column would dwell on ISTMA and its activities. My interactions with the ISTMA staffer propelled me to expose controversies surrounding the operation of the agency.
In one of the evenings, I was going to World Bank area from Douglas Road and disturbed by the incessant traffic on the Warehouse/Bank Road Roundabout, I made a detour from Govt. House /Police Headquarters road to hit the less-traffic lane from Orlu Road heading to Control Post. My move was catastrophic as I spent less than two hours in a journey that would not last more than two minutes. As I managed to meander through the Orlu-Control Post traffic gridlock, I saw a young lady adorning the yellow and black ISTMA uniform flagging down my vehicle. I obeyed her hand signal and matched the brake to inquire what a miss to warrant her attention. My frayed nerves were calmed when the lady requested a help from me. The young woman asked if I could give her a free ride since she was heading to Control Post en-route World Bank Estate, Umuguma where my car passenger- side indicator showed. I asked her to hop in, before I matched the throttle pad towards Control Post. As a practicing journalist hunting for news and seeking for more facts on ISTMA activities, I inquired from the famished lady why she should close work for the day when time check revealed 8pm and motorists in difficult times over the unending traffic gridlock. Oblivious of my professional background, the lady in her late twenties was conscious to share her feelings and tale of woes in ISTMA. I was worried why she would be vacating her duty post at the new Bank/Orlu road roundabout when there was heavy traffic snarl on both ends. The ISTMA staff that I was unable to get her true identity opened up and told me that the whole arrangement called Imo State Traffic Management Agency is a sham and sheer effort of the present government to deceive people. Asked to explain further on her remarks, she said “what we expected was not what we saw. You know we paid some money for forms for employment expecting that it is going to be structured like a government parasatal where we shall be entitled to monthly allowances and other welfare packages. You could imagine what our fate is in ISTMA when they gave us only a pair of uniform only when we provided others? Imagine we got the other items like belt and shoe to complete our wears. We cannot perform nor do our best because government is deceitful in their approach to us”.
The lady went on to vomit unprintable expressions about the structure, organization, welfare and operation of ISTMA which may not deserve mention in this write up. She summed up that “I am just managing this traffic job because I have already left the village to Owerri for the job. I am still searching for a new job. Some of us who discovered that we have no job satisfaction have also dumped the work. I am searching for a new one” she continued her revelation and lamentation until I got to her 2nd Roundabout (Ideal suite) Bus Stop, where she alighted and I continued my journey.
Having lived in Lagos and makes a periodic visit to the populous commercial capital city of Nigeria, one nightmarish experience Lagosians witness is traffic congestion. That forced the administration of Ahmed Bola Tumbu through an act of parliament to introduce Lagos State Transport Management Authority, LASTMA, the Agency patterned like ISTMA. Saddled with the responsibility of controlling and maintaining free flow of traffic, the coming of LASTMA to an extent brought sanity to Lagos roads. Even as traffic gridlock was not completely erased, movement is controlled and motorist conscious of their driving culture. For an average road user in Lagos “the fear of LASTMA is the beginning of driving” The agency no doubt revolutionalized operation of vehicles on Lagos roads and streets. Having observed the successes recorded by LASTMA in Lagos, the current Rotimi Amaechi administration in Rivers state established its traffic management authority and reports indicate that its operations are in perfect order and serving the purposes for which it was established few years ago.
Based on the appreciable impact recorded by these agencies in the affected states, the present administration in Imo conceived the idea of having the ISTMA. Upon creation, the agency, in 2012, began recruitment and training of its workforce for immediate commencement of operation. Ominous signs that the agency would be a failure emerged at the infant stages of the recruitment exercise. Similar to what was obtained in the past in the state and in line with the commercialization policy of the Okorocha government, prospective job seekers willing to be part of the ISTMA where mandated to pay about N1500 for forms. After undergoing interview and training, no allowances or hazard fees were paid to the foundation staff of the agency that were only compensated with a pair of uniform. Worse still, the monthly pay packet of the ISTMA new staff were not made known to them.
Unconfirmed reports had it that the ISTMA staffers were reportedly told that they will be paid based on what the agency generates monthly as internal generated revenue. At a season when established government parasatals and agencies either have their monthly subventions stopped or reduced, ISTMA received nothing from government for survival. This gesture caused the agency great misfortune as the staffers lamented government indifference approach to their plight. In most cases the workforce was pitched with the management over welfare packages. I could recollect a report where the workers alleged that contrary to their expectations, they were treated more like company casual workers than government employees. Though Onwukakike who is in charge of ISTMA responded that the demands and agitations of the workers were unfounded and run foul of the law establishing the agency. Till date some of the workers are owed some month’s allowances as one of the employees lamented that after four months he never received any monetary pay except the initial allowance of N15, 000 after the first month end.
Aside from the troubles arising from welfare packages, ISTMA operations leave much to be desired. The inadequacies arising from the agency’s operations may have propelled the Governor to wield the big stick. Complaints from various quarters trailed ISTMA operations from inception. The improper manner it carried out its operations attracted public wrath and opprobrium. Without proper logistics to commence operation, ISTMA turned to organized road side touts or what may be called Mordern Agberos on Owerri roads and streets. Instead of engaging in traffic control ISTMA only beamed searchlight on mere traffic defaulters. While major roads and junctions leading to and fro experienced worrisome traffic, ISTMA officials laid ambush for road users at obscure junctions giving the impression that they are only after offending motorists.
More disturbing is the fact that at most of these junctions where ISTMA ambush motorists there are no signs or traffic signals to indicate that the roads or streets are one way, no U-turn and no parking. In some of the states which Imo state copied to establish ISTMA, there are traffic signs boldly displayed on the roads to warn motorists. In some cases, ISTMA officials will pick a road user for moving one-way traffic when the alternate road is in bad shape and not motorable. At other times, they fierce looking men and women would not only contravene but impound a vehicle for obstruction and blocking traffic when the driver stops by the way side to answer phone call while the ignition key is on and car engine steaming. In spite of the uncountable number of illegal car parks across the state capital that obstructs vehicular movements on major roads which the ISTMA officials turn their blind eyes to, what interests the yellow and black wearing operatives are those using free one-way when the alternate road is in terrible shape.
A drive around the town will show notorious illegal parks scattered across major roads like Control Post, Orlu Road/Warehouse Junction, Ama Jk, Okigwe Road, Mbasie Road, Douglas Road and West End. To ISTMA officials, it is not their responsibility to clear the road and ensure free flow of traffic; rather their interest is to ambush road motorists where there is free flow of traffic. The irony is that ISTMA has no business with the notorious and Aba-based Aka na elu drivers operating on Douglas-Emmanuel College Road. These monstrous bus drivers daily obstruct free flow of traffic on the ever busy Douglas Road whereas ISTMA men and women hunt for would be traffic victims in less traffic areas of New Owerri.
I don’t want to talk about cases of sexual harassment and allegations rocking the Agency as space would not permit me to go further. But it was reported that some of the top officials at the helm of affairs use juicy postings to woo female staffers who are women of easy virtue while sharp practices and bribery reign in ISTMA. I thumb up for our dear Governor for bracing the odds to stop these official Agberos masquerading as state traffic controllers. Taking into consideration that ISTMA cannot be abolished without the state assembly repealing the law establishing it and the fact that about 250 Imolites are in the system. Let the Jude Ejiogu Committee set up to look into ISTMA operation and consider several factors before the traffic management authority launches a comeback after the suspension. Till next week, keep reading.
