Fides Media Living the Faith
… Hints on Measure to Beat Excesses of Unscrupulous Officials
By Michael Nnebife
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Anambra Road Traffic Management Agency, ARTMA, Engr Emeka Okonkwo, has advised the motoring public in Anambra State to shun the attitude of giving money to unscrupulous officials of the agency on the road when accused of any traffic offence.
The Managing Director who gave the advice in a media programme in Awka, recently, urged the accused motorists to insist on going to the agency’s office, saying that all accusations must be accompanied with a proper and complete video clip that must show where and how the offence was committed.
He said, ‘We are aware of the excesses of our ad hoc staff on the road. We get feedback from the public.
‘What I want to tell Ndi-Anambra is that when they (officials) arrest them, and they feel you are not wrong, they should not try to give them money, but insist on following them to the office.
‘Once you get to the office, ask our duty room officer of the video of your offence,’ he said, explaining that the video must be proper and complete, as well as containing a clear view of the scene of the offence and how it was committed.
He said that after the analysis of the video by the duty room officer, and the accused was found to be free of any traffic offence, he would be apologized to and released, while the accusing officials would be punished.
The ARTMA boss explained that the agency had signposts on the roads which indicate where vehicles are not allowed to stop or park, to ensure free flow of traffic.
Engr Okonkwo said stopping or parking in those places, answering a telephone call while driving, one-way driving, among others, constituted offences punishable by different fines as stipulated by the law.
While cautioning the motoring public to adhere strictly to the traffic laws, the ARTM boss stated that the agency had a team leader and a supervisor in each senatorial district in the state.
He therefore, urged the road users to visit the agency’s Facebook handle for information about the agency and the contacts of the senatorial leaders and supervisors for easy and fair settlement of cases when they arose.
Engr Okonkwo however expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance with the traffic rules and regulations by the motoring public in the state since the beginning of Governor Charles Soludo’s Administration.
Also speaking, another guest in the programme, Chidi Umezinwa, argued that the ARTMA was not a revenue generating agency as people believed, but only imposed specific fines against specific traffic offences upon the offenders which were paid directly into the state’s purse.
Umezinwa, who is the General Manager of ARTMA, maintained that the agency was only concerned with ensuring blockage and accident-free roads in the state.