The continuous payment for road worthiness certificates should be challenged in a competent court of jurisdiction as a result of challenges faced by road users, particularly as it concerns the deplorable state of roads in Nigeria.
Why?
Car users in Nigeria are expected to obtain vehicle certificates including license, insurance, road worthiness and a valid driver’s license before they could drive on Nigerian roads.
This monies paid to acquire all these brings internal generated revenue to the coffers of the government to enable them make available infrastructure that would make life easy for the people. This was the intention but today, the reverse is the case.
As it stands, car users go through rigorous processes to ensure they put their cars in good shape despite havoc bad roads keep causing to their cars, bad roads caused by government negligence.
The question is, why are Nigerians being asked to pay for Road worthiness certificate for their cars, when the roads the cars ply are not worthy? Of what benefit is it?
To make matters worse, The Director, Vehicle Inspection Service, (VIS) in Lagos, Engr. Akin-George Fashola mentioned during an interview session on a radio programme that vehicle owners in the State have to come forward with their vehicles, as the cost of road worthiness now entails car owners to rig their cars before they are issued road worthiness certificate which is already inclusive in the total package they paid for the renewal of vehicle particulars.
The Director disclosed that the old format of issuing a roadworthiness certificate and then expecting the vehicle owners to come and present their vehicle for inspection within 30 days is no longer sustainable as most vehicle owners do not bring their vehicles for the said inspection once the certificate is issued.
Why make people go through such stress to achieve a never going to be productive aim, especially with deplorable condition of our roads?Instead, government should be paying car owners for making them spend money on repairs and changing tires as a result of bad roads government inefficiency.
Aside this method of robbing Peter to pay Paul, Lagos state government has now deployed cameras with the aid of artificial intelligence to book people for offences. This means that, if you register your vehicle in Lagos and you renew your road worthiness license in Ogun State, the camera will book you for expired papers in Lagos because all the 36 states of the federation are yet to integrate into this system.
As it stands, it is very important for all the 36 State Governors to meet with the President and chart a new course for Nigeria. Government should declare a state of emergency on roads and road worthiness certificate should be scrapped pending when the roads are 90 percent motorable.
If this is not done, Lawyers, policy makers, NGO;s should not rest on their oars until they ensure that the government does the right thing.
By Tosin Adesile