Revamping Traffic Management in Edo
The Edo State Government recently reintroduced and inaugurated the state traffic law enforcement agency to instil discipline, law and order among road users. Adibe Emenyonu who covered the event, reports
In the 15th Century when Europeans of Portuguese extraction first arrived Benin City in pre-colonial days, one major issue that struck them was the way the Benin kingdom of then was planned with designed streets, roads, landscapes and alleys of the kingdom. The development of then sprawling kingdom and the ingenuity of the city’s planners became a masterpiece that rivalled some of Europe’s best cities.
It was against this premise that the place earned the appellation of the “Great City of Benin” because of the way the streets were planned which can hardly be found in any other place in Africa of that time.
As a result of this, they (Europeans) classified Benin as “one of the most beautiful and bestplanned cities in the world.” Notwithstanding, one of the defining features of a great city is its metropolitan nature, which often helps the mass of people, who are either settling, visiting or commuting through the city to other towns or city centres navigate it effortlessly.
Therefore, from being the toast of all in those times due to its elegantly planned cities, Benin City, the capital of then Midwest Region, Bendel and now Edo State, has transformed in the 21st Century, into a sprawling hub for transportation which therefore called for efficient traffic management that requires a coordinated action plan to ensure that the movement of people and goods are managed in such a way as to eliminate loss of man hours and other resources.
This same historical undertone came to bear August 31, 2017 at Edo State Government House when His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin, inaugurated the revamped Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA).
His speech was almost a playback to how the best of hands were recruited into elite guards to guard the city walls of the kingdom of yore.
Reminiscing on Benin City’s envious town planning heritage, Oba Ewuare II, said “the city has always had a well-designed layout of roads; feeder roads, streets and lanes since pre-colonial times.” He observed that “over the years, the increase in vehicular movement coupled with bad roads and poor traffic management resulted in chaotic traffic situations, made worse by some motorists with a penchant for disregarding traffic rules.”
This is made worse by the central location Benin City as entry and exit point to different parts of the country. Coupled with this is that the state also became home to a number of notable transport companies, which grew from nurturing their businesses from Benin City. The increasing activities from these companies and the large haul of passengers put immense pressure on roads, leading to traffic congestion and the need for proper calibration and management.
It is in view of the above that EDSTMA was conceived by the administration of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole. But like many traffic agencies, EDSTMA, when it was first introduced, came into force to control traffic, maintain decorum and curtail the excesses of drivers and other road users.
With time however, people began to complain that the agency has lost its track because of the antics of its officials, who were accused of harassing road users and hassling them for pecuniary gains.
It was in recognition of these and the bid to change all that terrible narrative, that the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government decided to retool the agency for optimal performance, with the mindset that better results can come from a reformed institution.
Just as the great Benin monarch ably took on the task of inaugurating the initiative, so had the officers of the agency undergone a stringent selection process that started in May this year and culminated in the best hands being thrust with the mandate to oversee efficient traffic management in the state..
Inaugurating the reformed agency, the Benin monarch cautioned officials of EDSTMA against bribery, extortion and harassment of road user especially motorists.
“The officials of EDSTMA must not see their appointments as an avenue for enriching themselves by accepting bribes from motorists who may want to undermine traffic rules. I am glad that the government deemed it
The officials of EDSTMA must not see their appointments as an avenue for enriching themselves by accepting bribes from motorists who may want to undermine traffic rules. I am glad that the government deemed it appropriate to create a Public Complaints Department for the agency, where members of the public can lodge their complaints. It is hoped that such complaints will be addressed speedily