‘Tell your followers to patronise LACVIS centres’

The Lagos State government may soon begin to come down hard on any vehicles without road worthiness certificates, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said.

Sanwo-Olu said it was part of moves to sanitize the transport sector and ensure that only fit vehicles are permitted on the roads.

The governor addressed religious leaders, under the aegis of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Commission (NIREC), at the Inter-faith Safety Seminar organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs in conjunction with the Lagos State Computerized Vehicle Inspection Service (LACVIS) at the weekend.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Taiwo Salaam, said the government’s determination to promote road safety informed the establishment of computerised vehicle inspection centres where vehicles are to be certified fit for the road.

According to him, 10 such centres are already in place while four more would be inaugurated before the end of July.

Sanwo-olu said the religious leaders were invited to LACVIS centre to see the facilities in place and to ensure that they help propagate the message of road worthy vehicles to their congregation and followers.

He said: “We brought you here, not only to see the facilities on ground, but also ensure that you help us tell your followers to patronise computerised centres and partner government to promote safety on the roads.”

NIREC’s Co-Chairman and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria Prof. Alexander Bamgbola praised the government for making traffic and transportation a major focus of the administration. He said the traffic congestion is already taking its toll as many people are already leaving the state for neighbouring southwestern states.

He assured the governor of “real support” of NIREC leadership. “Our cooperation will be real because we are also affected by the traffic congestion in this state. We are not surprised that Sanwo-Olu is making the road priority, it is a response to our collective prayers.”

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The co-chairman and Chief Imam of Lagos Sheikh Sulaiman Oluwatoyin Abou-Nolla said all Muslim bodies like their Christian brothers are united in collaborating with the Sanwo-olu administration in advancing the cause of good governance in Lagos.

Abou-Nolla, who was represented by the Chief Imam of Epe, Sheikh Mohammed Shittu, said now that the government has identified with religious leaders as partners, “we are ready to support all its initiatives to achieve a better and liveable city of our dream”.

VIS Director Hafeez Toriola said the government, since 2017, has started the establishment of computerised testing centres to reduce manual testing which has been the bane which impacts on traffic.

He urged the clerics to appeal to their members and followers to take their vehicles to any of the centres close to them, adding that four new ones would be opened in Ojota, Olowu, Yaba, to bring the number of centres to 14.

LACVIS Managing Director Prince Segun Obayendo said the computerised testing would address mechanical and electrical issues relating to vehicles on the roads.

Obayendo who took the religious leaders on tour of the operations of the centre said what obtains at Ojodu is replicated in all the 14 stations, and the intention is for the government to have one in each of the 20 local governments.

About 100 religious leaders, all members of NIREC from all the local governments in the state, attended the seminar.