The Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Barr. Onofiok Luke has said that valuable contributions made by stakeholders and experts to the proposed state Road Traffic Management bill shall be considered as part of the final draft without bias.
Luke disclosed this Wednesday at E-Library Complex, IBB Way, Uyo, while declaring open the public hearing on ‘The Bill to establish the Akwa Ibom State Road Traffic Management Authority and Other Matters connected therewith.’
Luke who was represented at the occasion by the Deputy Chief Whip and member representing Eket state constituency Mr.David Lawrence expressed the conviction that valuable expert inputs would help the House committee of Works and Transport to make necessary adjustment before passage of the bill into law.
He said that the passage of the bill would give an opportunity to correct the wrongs and various transportation issues bedeviling the state and make the roads safer.
“We are not oblivious of the fact that our state’s transportation system has been fraught with myriads of challenges. The outcome of these challenges is the direct result of the carnage that we see and read of daily on our Roads.
“It is also evident in reckless use of Roads by both private and commercial drivers leading to avoidable dangerous congestion on our roads. Our roads have been turned to market places, thereby putting the lives of the people we represent at risk.
“As lawmakers we are not all-knowing. That is why we seek expert opinions on every bill that we have passed into law.
“I make bold to say that the illegal motor parks and hawking prohibition law and Road Traffic Law which this bill seeks to repeal have not been effective enough to address transportation issues which we face on daily basis in the state”.
He stressed that the innovations that come with this bill were such that would incontrovertibly address the challenging realities on the state roads.
“When passed into law,the operations of the Traffic Management Authority will checkmate the menace of drunkenness among drivers on the road”, he added.
