Rivers rejigs transport sector, tackles road hazards

The Rivers State Government, through its Ministry of Transport, has commenced gradual reformation of the transport sector through an initiative aimed at effecting sanity on the roads.

The initiative, a two-day training/workshop for conductors of commercial vehicles operating in the state, is one of a series of programmes the state is embarking on to achieve the goal.

Declaring open the two-day training, organised by the Rivers State Ministry of Transport in conjunction with the Bus Conductors Association of Nigeria, in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, Aaron Mary Ebere, Director of Administration in the Ministry, said the workshop was a clear demonstration of the Ministry’s commitment to excellence, professionalism and best practices.

Describing transportation as one of the sectors that are instrumental to development, she said concerted efforts were necessary to transform the sector and make it more viable and productive, noting that commercial vehicle conductors have a part to play in this regard.

“Conductors play important role in the movement of people and goods. Therefore, it is imperative for bus conductors to uphold civility, safety and adhere to traffic rules”, she noted.

The director of administration assured the public of the Ministry’s readiness to promote safety and reduce hazards to boost the sector.

“Transportation is one of the sector that are key to development. The ministry of transport is committed to supporting initiatives that will promote safety, sanity, civility and professionalism”, she said.

In his lecture entitled, General Principles of Safety, Dagogo Inimgba, HOD Safety, Rivers State Ministry of Transport, described safety as a condition of being protected from harm.

“Road safety encompasses every regulation put in place by the government to ensure your safety while on the road. It also includes safety of the vehicles, passengers, drivers, pedestrians; safety of infrastructure. If any traffic light is destroyed, safety has been breached”, Dagogo noted.

Warning conductors to beware of hazards, which he described as things that have the potential of causing accident on the road, the HOS Safety advised them to take care of their health and that of their environment.

“As a conductor, pay attention to your health. Your sight is important; your BP is important. Maintain a healthy life and environment,” he added.

Tammy Batubo, Chairman, Bus Conductors Association of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter, said the training would make conductors to be more safety conscious while helping to change the wrong notion people have about them.

“This is a pioneer program, the first program addressing the issue of conducting in Rivers State. The essence of this program is to sensitize the general public and to educate our conductors on the proper etiquette of conducting in Rivers State. We normally know conductors as touts but as an association, we have come to change that narrative and contribute our quota to the society of our dearly beloved state. Our purpose is to bring change, not just on how people see us but on how the conductors see themselves,” he said.