Connect with us
study in Ukraine

Nigerian Newspapers

Curbing the menace of abandoned government vehicles

Published

on

By Evelyn Okakwu

Many local, state and the Federal Government secretariats and agencies across the country are littered with abandoned vehicles in spite of the complaints of inadequate vehicles. Motor vehicles are a prerequisite for efficient service delivery by public institutions. As we all know, the movement of materials and government personnel from one place to the other will not have been made easy without them. However, it seems that most of the government agencies do not see it that way. This is because if many of those who visit or transact business with Federal or state government agencies take their time to observe happenings around the premises where that transaction is to be sealed, they will be amazed at the number of abandoned vehicles that litter the place. From local, state to Federal Government ministries and agencies, it is unusual not to see abandoned motor vehicles, some of which might have been there for ages.

A simple analysis is needed to fully understand the extent of this problem. There is a Federal Government secretariat, 36 state secretariats, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) secretariat and 774 local government secretariats. That means there are 812 secretariats in Nigeria. Again, on the average, the FG, all the 36 states and FCT administration have at least 10 ministries each, which translates to 380 ministries. The secretariats and ministries will amount to atotal of 1192 institutions.

In addition to the above, the Federal Government has 40 Universities; 21 Polytechnics; 15 Colleges of Agriculture and 9 Colleges of Health Technology. These figures add up to 85. The state governments have 38 Universities, 13 Polytechnics, 19 Colleges of Agriculture and 40 Colleges of Health Technology. In other words, the 36 state governments in Nigeria have 110 institutions.

If one adds 1,192, 85 and 110 together, one will have 1,387 institutions. Therefore, with an average of 2 abandoned vehicles per institution, there will be 2,774 abandoned vehicles across the Federal and state institutions in the country.
In view of the vital role motor vehicles play in service delivery, it beats the imagination of well-meaning Nigerians that government institutions can afford to have abandoned vehicles in their offices. Therefore, if one considers the fact that governments across the three tiers are not able to meet some important needs of the citizenry due to inadequate motor vehicles, it then means some fundamental things are wrong with the manner government agencies manage those assets.
A staff of a local area council in the FCT, who did not want his name in print, attributed the phenomenon to three factors. “It is due to careless attitude, inadequate funding and management incompetence”.

The careless attitude relates to the general lackadaisical attitude displayed towards public assets; inadequate funding is a major factor because after the necessary documentation has been done for a faulty vehicle to be repaired, funds may not be approved, and that is why they believe that the management team in charge of the concerned government agency is not competent. A close examination of the level of efficiency of some of the institutions owned by the three tiers of government that were visited by our reporter revealed that the local government official was right.  However, other respondents attributed the phenomenon to government’s accounting system. “Government operates on a commitment basis, because once an asset is purchased it is written-off at the end of the fiscal year”, replied Leke Fakayode, an accountant. “But it is the responsibility of a designated department within the ministry to monitor the disposal of those vehicles”, he said.

The bureaucracy that goes with vehicle disposal is enough to dissuade any willing public official from doing the right thing. Another official of one of the state Polytechnics, who spoke to our correspondent, attributed the problem to deceit. “On most occasions, the state government gives us refurbished vehicles which break down few months into their usage”, he said. The school authority that is already starved of funds cannot afford to repair them every time those vehicles are faulty. Federal Government-owned institutions are no exception. Abandoned vehicles are regular sights in some of those institutions. An official of a prominent federal institution, who spoke to Peoples Daily, but preferred anonymity, attributed the phenomenon to innovation.
“When vehicle manufacturers launch a new model, which is more efficient than the one presently in use in terms of fuel consumption, ruggedness and comfort, the management will opt for the new model.” In other words, opting for the new model automatically translates to abandoning the old vehicle which may be there for as long as the situation permits.
A Kaduna-based sociologist, Alh. Zakari Buba, who spoke to our correspondent, said that abandoned vehicles phenomenon in government agencies is due to poor maintenance culture and abuse of government property. “This trend is so common because government officials use them for unofficial duties and the lack maintenance culture”, he said.
The fact that this trend still continues now that there is a growing investment in metal scraps shows that it is either the public sector is stranded by the procedures leading to the disposal of abandoned vehicles or the public officials in charge are not competent enough.
Rather than leave those vehicles to constitute nuisance to their surroundings, public institutions are encouraged to embrace some or all of these suggestions. Firstly, the institutions concerned should look for ways to fast tract their repairs so as to enhance the productivity of their staff.
One of our respondents said that whenever their vehicles are faulty, they bear the transport fares as their employer will look the other way. The basic minimum wage of the Federal Government is N18, 000, and by tacitly asking them to bear the transport expenses through non-allocation of funds for repairs will further reduce their disposable income and thus impoverish them the more.
Another way to address this problem is to canvass for attitudinal change. Furthermore, they can sell those abandoned vehicles as scrap metals to firms that will recycle them, that is, if they are faulty beyond repairs.
Government officials, at all levels, should see these properties as their own. Added to this is that Nigerians should improve on our maintenance culture, which for now is nothing to write home about. In addition, due diligence must be done to ensure that a department or section of any institution really needs a vehicle before any order is placed for it.

The post Curbing the menace of abandoned government vehicles appeared first on Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria.

————————————————————————————————————————-
Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.

Source: People’s Daily Newspaper

DisNaija.Com publishes regular posts on Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Online Nigeria Gist.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Nigerian Newspapers


Your Opinion Counts. Be sure To Leave A Comment, If You Have Any.

Please Like, Share or Tweet. Your Support Is Appreciated.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tribune

Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110

Published

on

By

Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]

Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online

Sourced From: Tribune Online

Continue Reading

This Day

Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack

Published

on

By

•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly

Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.

The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.

Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.

The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.

But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.

THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.

More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.

Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”

It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.

“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.

National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.

The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.

Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.

Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.

PDP Demands State of Emergency

In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.

He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.

Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.

“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.

“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.

Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.

The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.

Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.

He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.

The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.

Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram

The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.

“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.

The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.

Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.

State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari

Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.

Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE

Continue Reading

The Nation

UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal

Published

on

By

Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.

The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.

According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.

This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.

Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.

Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics

Continue Reading

Premium Times

Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings

Published

on

By

The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.

The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.

Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria

Continue Reading
Advertisement study in Ukraine

Politics

Popular Posts