A number of states in the country are moving towards creating more organised city centres. ISAAC SHOBAYO writes on the recent attempt by the Plateau State Government to sanitise Jos city percent and the ruckus it has generated among those affected.
The Plateau State Government recently came up with Executive Order 003 to sanitise the city of Jos and its environs. Prior to this, the city percent, which is also the commercial nerve percent of the state, had been defaced due to the indiscriminate display of wares and goods along major roads by traders. Jos was marked by indiscriminate parking by motorists, especially articulated vehicles. The situation was further compounded by many refuse dumps along the major roads.
The once-organised state capital over time became an eyesore. Buildings were also erected without recourse to the plan for the city. These activities have been attributed to the protracted crises in the state, which tend to divert the attention of the government from this menace.
A retired permanent secretary in the state, who craved anonymity, attributed the situation to a lack of political will on the part of successive governments to address the trend. He added that there was always the fear that any attempt to decongest the city centre might snowball into a crisis, hence previous administrations looked elsewhere.
Apart from this, there is also indiscriminate parking of heavy duty vehicles, trucks, and other articulated vehicles along major roads. They have become a menace to other road users and this dangerous parking has caused many accidents and untold hardship to the people of Jos and its environs.
All these might have prompted the state government to come up with Executive Order 003.
Explaining the rationale behind the order, the General Manager, Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB), Mr. Hart Bankat, said the growing population in the state has led to an increase in vehicular traffic and haphazard construction of buildings, which has resulted in congestion and safety hazards.
Bankat disclosed that, with Executive Order 003 in place, traders doing business on sites not designated for such shall cease immediately. “Anyone in default shall have their items confiscated and the same donated to the Internally Displaced Persons Camp or the Correctional Centres.
He added that indiscriminate parking of trucks, heavy-duty equipment, and other vehicles within the metropolis are prohibited, and vehicles so parked shall be impounded, and the drivers of the same shall be liable to pay a fine of N500,000.00 (five hundred thousand Naira only) as a penalty.
“Trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles are hereby restricted from coming into the Central Business Area (Jos-Bukuru Metropolis) from the hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m; vehicles of defaulters shall be impounded, and the drivers of the same shall be liable to pay a fine of N500,000.00 (five hundred thousand Naira only); the areas referred to are as contained in the schedule attached to this order;
Checks by Nigerian Tribune revealed that no fewer than 25 heavy-duty trucks had been impounded by the JMDB in the past week and heavily fined for violating the order. While the state government is being commended for the bold step to sanitise the state capital, transporters, traders, and marketers perceive the order as too draconian and inimical to the survival of their businesses.
Apparently disturbed by the Executive Order, the Plateau State Joint Transport Traders and Marketers Association on Wednesday declared a one-day warning strike to express their displeasure. The association is more concerned about the restriction of trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles to the city centre from the hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the penalty of the sum of N500,000.00 (five hundred thousand naira only) for defaulters.
The chairman of the Association, Ismaila Abubakar Garba, pointed out that the order has taken a toll on their businesses as no fewer than 25 vehicles had been impounded by the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB), adding that one of the trucks impounded was not moving on the road but was offloading at a store and was towed to the VIO office at Anglo Jos, and the government had refused to release the said trucks to their owners until the sum of $500,000 (five hundred thousand Naira only) is paid as a fine on each truck.
He also pointed out that the roads that the government is barricading belong to the federal government and are linked from one state to another, and for vehicles to move on those roads, it is an infringement of its members fundamental rights.
“We strongly disagree with the government’s decision; we had earlier sat with government officials but overstretched our patience and non-adherence to democratic tenets, the rule of law, and constitutionalism. We therefore call on the government of Plateau State to retrace its step, provide designated routes for trucks, and allow trucks to move goods to other states.
“We further urge the government to construct truck terminals for the efficient working of the Executive Order and also to reduce the restriction time from 9:00 p.m. to 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. to reduce the hardship faced by the truck owners and the high cost of goods and services for the citizens.
The traders lamented that at the moment, no truck owners are willing to convey any goods from other states to Plateau State, which has now led to an increase in goods and services.
A cross-section of residents of Jos who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune commended the state government for its determination to give the state capital a face lift. According to them, the previous governments tolerated so much indiscipline and lawlessness that the state capital has lost its aesthetic value.
A banker, Aliyu Abubakar, declared thus: “The city centre has become an eyesore; most traders have abandoned their shops to sell on the road; trucks recklessly park along the major roads, causing nuisance to other road users. The step taken by the state government is a welcome development.”
Stella Okechukwu, who sells in wholesale, frowned at the government’s action, saying most of her goods can no longer come into town during the day except at night, which constitutes a risk, and appealed to the state government to review the executive order.
A human rights activist, Comrade Steve Aluko, posited that the government has the right to take decisions that could safeguard lives and properties, adding that the steps taken are not peculiar to Plateau State and that such has been in vogue in many states of the federation.
Aluko said, “The government should create an alternative route and parking space, but in terms of the security of lives and properties, the government has the right to take whatever stand it wants to take to ensure that lives are secure. It is not only in Plateau that the issue or restriction is coming in. But if the government says they shouldn’t park, what are the credible alternatives that you are giving them? The government should carry them along as critical stakeholders.”.
Speaking on the warning strike by the Plateau State Joint Transport Traders Association, the State Commissioner of Information, Mr Musa Ashoms, cautioned the association and other people affected by Executive Order 003 against politicising the government action, adding that the steps were taken to bring sanity to the state and also to curb the menace of truck drivers within the city.
Ashom, who said the government will not back down, stated that there might be some alllingnment and adjustment because laws are made for humans and cautioned against any act that might lead to the breakdown of law and order.
He said, “As a government, we always attach humanity to whatever we want to do. As government, we have interfaced with the stakeholders and all those involved, and a committee has been set up with the Commissioner of Transport as the Chairman and other members. The law is a bit alien to some people, but it is aimed at giving Plateau a face lift. This order, if implemented, will make Plateau State beautiful again.
“My advice is that they should embrace the new order because change comes with a price too; there is nothing good that comes easy. So, we are trying to make our state beautiful; they should join us as partners. If the trailers come into town, they can offload into smaller trucks, and there are also alternative routes that we have provided for them already; others have started plying them, and they are not complaining.”.
A state official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) who did not want his name in print suggested the establishment of truck transit parks at the major entry points into Jos, the state capital, where trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles can park before moving into the city at the approved hours.
“This is necessary because Plateau State, and its capital in particular, is bordering about three states from Abuja. This park, if established, will also enable drivers to take a respite before continuing with their journey outside the state. Also, a park management unit should be established at the JMDB to manage the parks,” he noted.
