The Enugu State House of Assembly has directed the Ministry of Transport and all traffic enforcement agencies in the state to stop collecting and depositing traffic fines into private or unofficial accounts.

It also directed the House Committees on Transport and Public Accounts to conduct a public hearing on the activities of the Enugu State Road Traffic Management Agency (ESRTMA), also known as MOT.

The House reached this decision on Tuesday in Enugu while deliberating on a motion sponsored by Okechukwu Aneke (APC) to protect Enugu State citizens from arbitrary traffic fines and safeguard government revenue.

Mr Aneke, representing Udi South Constituency, said that agents of the transport ministry and other traffic enforcement bodies imposed arbitrary fines on motorists without due process.

The lawmaker revealed that many of the fines were collected in cash or paid into private accounts, rather than the designated government accounts, stating that this development had placed an additional burden on the people.

“Beyond this, it undermines the financial integrity of our state, as funds that rightly belong to the government are siphoned into private pockets.

“Traffic fines, if properly managed, form a vital part of our internally generated revenue (IGR). These revenues are needed to build our roads, equip our hospitals, fund our schools, and deliver public services.

“This motion is not about blame. It is about justice for our people and accountability in governance.

“By protecting motorists from arbitrary fines and ensuring that every single penny enters government coffers, we are protecting both the governed and the government,” Mr Aneke said.

In her remarks, Obiajulu Ugwu, Enugu South Rural, said there is a need to investigate the activities of the ESRTMA, which she hinted are causing nuisance on the road for motorists.

Ms Ugwu accused them of deliberately doing things that will make motorists default, including clearing up traffic lines, to extort them.

According to her, the House will not fold its hand and watch helplessly as the agency set up by the government engages in activities that make motorists and other road users uncomfortable without intervening.

Okey Mbah, representing Nkanu East, stressed the need for the Commissioner for Transport to train and retain ESRTMA officers, as many of them were unaware of traffic rules.

While recounting his personal experience with the ESRTMA officers, Mr Mbah said that the activities of some of them portrayed the state government in a very bad light.

The speaker of the House, Uche Ugwu, commended the sponsor and co-sponsors of the motion for their bold initiative to curb the excesses of the ESRTMA.

Mr Ugwu asked the committees to ensure that both the commissioners for transport and the public were invited to the public hearing to maintain sanity on the road, especially ahead of the yuletide.

(NAN)