The Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) has vowed to go after commercial yellow-branded buses in the state popularly known as ‘Danfo’ and ‘Korope’ violating provisions of the Road Traffic Law 2021.
“Our mandate is all vehicles but this year, our focus for officers is the commercial transporters,” said VIS Chief Vehicle Inspection Officers, Akin-George Fashola
The official said though private citizens also have bad cars on the roads, the Service has deployed enough technology to deal with errant private owners.
Fashola said, “I’m at a level where I’m comfortable with the technology the state has developed and put on the roads to take care of private citizens. You will hardly see Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Officers disturbing private citizens on roads.
“In 2024, we are facing commercial entities because there are just so many of them. It’s high we changed our focus, our approach to get those numbers down to a level.
“Having said that, even private citizens have very bad cars but my main goals is for commercial citizens.”
Asked whether the Service was empowered by law to arrest one-way drivers, the official said as a law enforcement agency, the Service take assignments that are priority traffic violation offences like arresting one-way defaulters. “It is not a primary focus for us but it’s an addition,” he stated.
Fashola also said the state’s Ministry of Transportation puts up signs on exclusive one-way roads but the signposts are stolen, making ignorant drivers break the law.
The activities of Danfo drivers can be nightmarish on Lagos roads.
From reckless driving to poorly maintained buses puffing plumes of thick smokes into the atmosphere, polluting the air, Danfo drivers’ activities can be menacing, even as they sometimes engage in fights with road transport workers also known as agbero who are clad in grimy white tops and green trousers.
The state government had repeatedly said the operations of Danfo drivers are indecent of the ‘megacity’ aspiration of Lagos and vowed to phase out the commercial buses but state-owned bus projects have been inadequate to cater for the transport needs of over 20 million people resident in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic nerve centre.
Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service formally known as Vehicle Inspection Unit was established on August 2, 2012, by former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola.
According to information on its website, the Service is saddled with the duties of ensuring compliance with all stipulated/required vehicle policies such as Road Worthiness, Vehicle License, Hackney Permit, Testing and Training of applicants for driver’s license/ rider card and sometime compliment the duties of other Transport Agencies.
By Remilekun Awokoya