August 21, (THEWILL) –Â In January 2022, the Lagos State Government kicked off its much-vaunted No Inspection, New Roadworthiness Policy, an initiative it claimed was aimed at reforming the transportation system in the state.
The new policy, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederick Oladeinde, had explained at the time, was intended to help improve road safety across the Lagos Metropolis and to reduce the unprecedented surge in road accidents to the barest minimum.
According to the commissioner, the policy was also introduced to get rid of ramshackle vehicles, particularly trucks, which often break down on the roads and cause traffic congestions that sometimes last for several hours at a stretch.
It is an amendment to the old procedure of receiving a roadworthiness certificate in the state after paying a stipulated sum of money as fee. This time, motorists were required to present their vehicles for physical inspection and tests at designated computerised centres, numbering 27, across the state to qualify for roadworthiness certificates.
According to investigation, the first wave of inspection at the computerised centres in January 2022 witnessed a considerably large turnout. Out of 26,442 vehicles that were inspected, 15,998 passed while 10,444 failed the minimum safety standard tests.
Following complaints from many motorists about the long hours spent at the inspection centres to get their vehicles inspected by officials of the state Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) and the attendant pain and frustration experienced in the process, the government decided to introduce a booking system to stem the surge recorded at some vehicle inspection centres.
Apart from ensuring that vehicle inspection is now based on scheduled appointments, the Ministry of Transportation extended the 30-day window for inspection to 60 days to reduce the panic surge observed in some of the inspection centres.
Reacting to an insinuation that the policy might be targeted at only private vehicles, the ministry claimed that transport operators are not left behind in the new policy regime. They are having their vehicles inspected by Vehicle Inspection Officers at various motor parks in order to further reduce the convergence of vehicles at the inspection test centres, it explained.
Earlier in January 2022, critics of the policy had described it as an exercise targeted at generating revenue for the state government, but the latter denied it.
The Director, Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS), Engr. Akin-George Fashola explained that the previous arrangement whereby Certificates of Roadworthiness were issued along with a referral note directing vehicle owners to visit the Lagos Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre (LACVIS) for inspection was no longer applicable because vehicle owners had refused to bring their vehicles for inspection.
Although reports indicate that the Lagos State Government reached a decision to increase the number of inspection centres across the state, the complaints have not abated. We believe that in a state with an estimated 6 million cars and over 200,000 commercial vehicles, the exercise will continue to be long-drawn and counter-productive, since vehicle owners are bound to spend longer hours waiting for their vehicles to be tested and awarded road worthiness certificates.
Also it is unfair to require motorists to obtain certificates of roadworthiness before they can ply Lagos roads, even as it is clear to everyone, including the enforcers of the new roadworthiness policy, that the same roads are in dire need of rehabilitation.
The roads within and around the Lagos Metropolis are so bad and barely motorable that even after passing a VIS test, most vehicles will still have to undergo more tests and inspection possibly on weekly basis.
To keep their vehicles in top range, most people spend a lot of money on repairs. Added to this is the rising cost of spare parts, some of which are almost beyond the reach of the average vehicle owner.
We urge the state government to consider fixing the roads as a matter of urgency and to adopt a more direct approach to confronting the monstrous challenge posed by road accidents in Lagos. It should cease all attempts to make motorists and other road users to bear the brunt of its failure to provide good motorable roads in the metropolis. Anything less is not acceptable.
