VIO extracts commitments from erring Keke Napep owners, riders in Calabar metropolis

The Director/State Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer, CVIO, in Calabar, Cross River capital, this week, extracted commitments from defaulting Keke Napep owners, riders in the state metropolis NEGROIDHAVEN can say authoritatively. 

The Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer, Engr Paul Bepeh on Tuesday extracted statements of commitment from two Keke Napep owners, namely, Messrs Lammy Eno, Matthew Nweke and rider Nweke Emeka for plying routes that have been flagged by the VIO. 

The three owners who admitted that there are designated routes which have been flagged off for no-use by the VIO, explained that their riders were actually in error for driving along routes in Ikot Ishie, and Four Miles all in Calabar. 

According to the Chief VIO, Bepeh represented by Engr Akam Stanley Agbor, our correspondent learnt that tricycles are not seen to be operating everywhere in the state metropolis. This development is owing to the fact that after the VIO conducted a risk assessment of routes in the state capital, she designated some routes as not fit for plying by Keke Napeps ‘because of congestion, structure and design of the roads in order to avoid accidents. The focus is safer routes for our commuters —Road users in the metropolis. So, after a proper risk assessment, routes were being approved for Keke Napeps to operate. 

‘Unfortunately, some of the Keke riders have decided in their own to violate this directive by going out to operate where they are not supposed to operate, thereby bringing congestion, accidents, all forms of mishaps on the road’ he said. 

Agbor informed that the VIO resolved to drum this recent directive on the Keke Napep owners and drivers by apprehending defaulting Keke Napeps, extracting commitments from them through the signing of an undertaking on the agreement that they will never be found on the said routes, in the case were they flout the rules again, they will be totally banned from operating in the state. 

Comr. David Edem the Chair of Keke Riders Association in Calabar Municipality appreciated the wisdom of the VIO in crafting the recent directive. He disclosed that the leadership of his association has asked her members to ‘keep the rules of government. We plead with the riders to obey government directives. I won’t be the chairman to tell you to do what government has not asked you to do’. He added that some erring Keke Napep riders ‘want to be bigger than the government’. 

VIO informed that three more routes have been officially approved for Keke Napeps operation at the instance of the request of the Keke Napep Riders Association in the state.