In its efforts to address insecurity within Ondo State the state government has directed that all taxi drivers operating in the state to register their personal data and that of their vehicles with the the Ondo State Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS) and State Information Technology Agency (SITA) within the next three months.
This was made known by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties, Dr Doyin Odebowale while addressing journalists in the boardroom of Ondo State Inland Revenue Service (ODIRS), Akure on Tuesday.
Odebowale also hintee that the registration for interstate buses and trucks would commence soon.
The Senior Special Assistant explained that the move has become imperative by the need to ensure that residents and visitors to the Sunshine state are safe while boarding any commercial vehicle within the State.
“What is of immediate importance to us is the issue of security. We are not going to compromise this. Security comes first.
“It is unimaginable that in 2021, we have taxis operating in the state and the government does not know them. We do not know the drivers, we do not know the vehicles.
“Many cars on the road are used for commercial purpose and there is no means of identification or whatsoever. So, the state government is saying no to this.
“So, we insist that all taxis, all commercial vehicles operating in Ondo state must be registered. They must be known.
“Everybody who is going to drive commercial vehicle in Ondo state must be registered,” he insisted.
Odebowale affirmed that the state would not accept any other form of registration from any commercial driver or vehicle except the registration with SITA or through the ODIRS.
He insisted that every commercial driver must possess valid driver’s license before registration.
He also stressed that the documents for the vehicle registrations must be valid and genuine noting that expired documents and drivers licences would not be accepted just as no proxy registration would be allowed.
“We are not interested with what happens within any union. It is not our business.
“Nobody is permitted to register any vehicle other than SITA. SITA will register and capture the data of the drivers and the vehicles,” he declared.
He said both the drivers and the vehicles will be registered upon payment of N2,000 each, adding that any taxi driver without a vehicle must also register before driving any commercial vehicle within the State.
The Senior Special Assistant who also displayed a copy of the identification card that would be issued to every registered commercial driver and the special number that would be assigned to every registered vehicle, stated that the number must be conspicuously displayed on the both sides of the vehicle.
The SSA stressed that the State government would no longer allow the anyone to use of any private vehicle as cab in the state.
He therefore directed that every vehicle used as taxi must bear the state commercial colour (blue and yellow)
Dr Odebowale who insisted that commercial drivers in the state had just three months to register their data and their vehicles said, “anyone caught flouting the the order would face the consequences”.
“We’ll be impounding vehicles any moment from now. This exercise is going to take three months in the first instance because we don’t want to create any stampede and we don’t want it to be seen as punitive. We are not against anybody.
He said it would be in the interest of the commercial drivers to register as soon as possible across the 18 local government areas in the state as enforcement will commence soon.
He also advised the state residents to only patronise only registered vehicles bearing the colour of the state as well as the assigned numbers
Also speaking, the Chairman, SITA, Mr Olumbe Akinkugbe, said all personnel to be deployed for the exercise had been trained and ready to commence work immediately
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Agency for Transport in Ondo State, Ogundele Kayode said proper sensitisation of commercial motorists as well as the residents of the state would be done and the exercise was for the well-being of the state.
He said the Agency for transport would do its best to ensure compliance and track down erring commercial motorists.
