Date Published: 09/18/11

Akwa Ibom to establish data bank of motorists

Following recent incidents of bomb blasts in some parts of the country and fears of its escalation , Akwa Ibom government has announced that it will begin registration of all motorists and vehicles in the state.

The measure, according to the Commissioner for Transport, Mr Ekpeyong Ntekim, is to develop a data bank of all vehicles and owners in the state to make it easier to identify sources of crimes associated with vehicles.

Ntekim said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo that the measure was also in conformity with the directive of President Goodluck Jonathan during the recent launch of new driver’s licence and vehicle plate number.

“We are going to take a complete bio-metric of every person who own and drive a car or tricycle in Akwa Ibom.

“Every car must be registered alongside a driver that drives the car and if you change a driver, you will file a notice of change, otherwise we will arrest the owner in case of crime,” Ntekim said.

He explained that the registration would be done electronically, adding that a legal framework was already being put in place to make failure to register vehicles an offence.

``The crime that led the government to ban the use of motorcycle and tricycle in the state must be addressed and the bio-metric registration of every vehicle operating in the state is one of the strategies for addressing the issue,” he added.

The commissioner blamed the regular snarl-up of traffic in Uyo metropolis on the impatience of some motorists, saying the government had begun construction of some by-passes to ease the problem.

``The government is also trying to clear some abandoned motor parks in the city to allow for free flow of traffic often impeded by illegal parking on busy roads in the heart of the town.

“A traffic management committee that will handle some of the issues is being constituted and when they begin operation, it will not be business as usual for all those parking on the road,’’ he said.

(NAN)