The Special Adviser to the Governor of the State of Osun on Works and Transport, Engr. Hussein Olatoke Olaniyan, during an interview at his office in Abere, Oshogbo, disclosed this development, stating that the relocation is an important accomplishment for the State on many fronts.
Engr. Olaniyan said that the State of Osun had been having a running battle with the drivers plying Oshogbo-Ede-Ikire-Ife-Lagos, because they established illegal motor parks along the corridor. The implication of this action, according to Olaniyan, is that operators kept picking and dropping off passengers haphazardly along the road and that had constituted serious traffic issues for the State.
He said that it was especially necessary to find a lasting solution to the identified challenge because that is an important corridor where a number of important State Offices are sited.
Commenting on previous attempts by the State, Engr. Olaniyan submitted that: “for so long, we have been looking for solution to this issue. You will recall that we had a motor park at Aiyegbaju Market, which was originally designed to serve those who come to the market for one transaction or the other, but we gave it to the operators to use as a motor park”.
With the challenges that plagued the Aiyegbaju Motor Park, the Special Adviser said that: “we discovered that it has not been convenient for the Operators because it is off the road – so we have been looking for a convenient place for them, to establish a good motor park.”
“While we are doing that, we have just relocated them to the Olaiya motor park as a temporary measure. We have a wide expanse of land there, and the operators have moved their buses there”, he added.
As part of control measures to ensure that operators maintain decorum at the designated motor park, Olaniyan also disclosed that the State has established new set of conditions for the operators, which the leadership of the State Chapter of the National Union of Road and Transport Workers have been invited to sign. It would also involve Operators signing undertakings.
“We have invited the leadership of their Union (NURTW) to sign some kind of undertaking which spells out the terms and conditions for the use of the place. The terms and conditions will be binding on all, and erring members could be disciplined in line with the terms and conditions”, Olaniyan affirmed.
“As we speak, they have started operating im the new place, and from observation, there has been a drastic reduction in the practice of random picking and dropping off of passengers. This we believe is an important accomplishment for the State”, he added.
On expectations of the State Government from Operators with the new measures, Olaniyan said: “the State Government expects more disciplined operation, compliance to the rules and regulations guiding the park, more revenue generation, and of course, the government also expects greater security for commuters”.
Also commenting on the measures out in place to monitor the operators, Olaniyan affirmed that the State Government is in constant communication with the leadership of the NURTW, and the present leadership of the Union is quite a responsible and submissive one. He added that: “the good thing is that as unruly as the operators can be, they are absolutely submissive to the directives and authorities of the Union. So, through the leadership, the State Government is in control”.