Uvwie Central Motor park Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers as well as commercial drivers in Delta State have called on the Federal Road Safety Commission to reduce the price of the Speed Limit Device on Commercial vehicles in the Area.
The call is follows the nation-wide enforcement of the Speed Limit Device on commercial vehicles by the Federal Road Safety Corps which began February 1.
The Chaiman of Uvwie Central Motor Park NURTW, Comrade Francis Arhiyo and the drivers made the call today in separate chats with DAILY Post.
Arhiyo stated that the NURTW and Commercial drivers are not comfortable with the development and cannot afford the device at an exorbitant rate of forty thousand naira due to the harsh economic condition of the country.
Arhiyo noted that the commercial drivers were ready to comply with the FRSC directives as ” It’s a welcome development”but warned that the commercial drivers should not be coerced into purchasing the device.
” You cannot tell a driver who ply the road from here to Benin, Sapele, Ore to come and buy speed limit device of forty something thousand naira. It is not done. If they are talking about five, ten thousand naira, I think it will be welcomed. But for that amount, I think it is on the high side for my drivers to comply with. They should bring it down so that it will be convenient for them to purchase.
” As at the day before yesterday, we had a complaint from one of my drivers that on their way to Ore, FRSC blocked the road asking for this speed limit device and the amount is on the high side. They should bring it down so that it will be convenient for them to purchase.”
Arhiyo stated that no commercial vehicle has been impounded by the FRSC yet, just as he claimed that the private motor parks have not also complied with the directives.
A member of the PTI Junction branch of the NURTW, Kenneth Udensi warned that the commercial’ drivers will approach the court to seek and fight for their rights if the FRSC dares compel them to purchase the Speed limit device.
Udensi described the price of the speed limit device as “erroneously exorbitant,” claiming that the Federal Government was supposed to have put palliatives in place before embarking on the fruitless exercise of speed limit purchase.
Udensi claimed that the enforcement by the FRSC came at the wrong time, pointing out that it should have been reduced to five or ten thousand naira.
One of the Commercial drivers, Mr. Patrick James commended the FRSC for the lofty ideas just as he called for the reduction in price of the speed limit device.
James who ply Eku to Abraka axis from PTI Junction Motor Park said,” there is no money to afford it. It should be reduced to ten thousand naira.”
Another Commercial driver simply identified as Great corroborated the views of his colleagues, saying, ” five thousand naira is okay for the device but forty thousand naira is too much, especially at this time. We can’t afford it. I have maintenance of my vehicle and family to take care of. If they insist, many of us will park our vehicles. That forty thousand naira should be for flashy cars not commercial drivers.”
Efforts to speak with the Assistant Comptroller of Corps in Warri and its environs, ACC I O Seidu were unsuccessful as he said he had traveled out of town.
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