Fewness of centres may weaken vehicle inspection before issuance of certificate in Lagos
Transport experts have picked holes in the latest policy summersault of the Lagos State Government who may have outlawed the issuance of roadworthiness certificate without examination of the vehicle.
Experts say with even 30 centres in place, the facilities may not cope with physically certifying the well over 12 million vehicles plying Lagos roads on a daily basis.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who recently inaugurated eight computerised vehicle inspection centres spread across the state, had ordered that henceforth, every vehicle going for the yearly Vehicle Inspection Certificate (VIC) for road worthiness must first undergo physical checks at any of the 10 centres.
Aside the first two centres opened in April last year in Ojodu and Odogunyan-Ikorodu, the new eight centres inaugurated are located in Oko-Oba, Ayobo – Iyana-Ipaja, Oko-Afo, Badagry, PWD, Gbagada, Agric-Isawo and Epe.
The governor stated that with the centres in place, the issuance of roadworthiness certificates would be hinged on the inspection of vehicles at any of the testing centres.
Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Ladi Lawanson, said before the end of the year, 10 more centres would be opened.
He said the state government would partner the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) in ensuring that only roadworthy vehicles were allowed to ply all roads in the state.
While pleading with the FRSC to continue to collaborate with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Vehicle Inspection Service in ensuring that vehicles posing threats to safety on the roads were impounded and taken off the road, Governor Ambode averred that “The plan is to replicate the centres in all the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas of the state”.
“We have taken this route to ensure we do not repeat what happened between 2013 and 2016, when over 416 lives were lost and 2,498 were injured due to road crashes on our roads as a result of human errors which research has proved to be responsible for 90 per cent of accidents, while mechanical and environmental factors account for only 10 per cent.
“Since the inauguration of the two centres at Ojodu and Ikorodu, 93,768 vehicles have been taken there between April 2017 and December 2017. Of these, 53,970 vehicles passed, 39,798 failed and 29, 977 of those that failed had a retest and passed. It is noteworthy that over 60 per cent of the vehicles that failed did so as a result of faulty brakes while others failed due to issues relating to lighting, suspensions, tyres and so on.
“This effort has been tripled with the launch of these eight new centres which will provide a faultless and human error-proof system that will indicate the state of your vehicles in the following areas among others: Emission system, the beam (lighting focus and aim), braking system, suspension system, body, tyres. We urge Lagosians to patronise the centres for their benefit so that our administration’s commitment to a safe, secure, reliable and efficient transport system will bear the expected fruits,” Ambode stressed.
