Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger inaugurated the state’s Traffic Management Agency (NISTMA) in Minna on Tuesday.

He allocated 21 vehicles to the agency to facilitate its operations.

The vehicles are 10 power bikes, six Hilux vans, an ambulance and four tow trucks.

The governor said the creation of the agency was to build a traffic database that would help to identify traffic offenders and keep adequate data of road users for revenue profiling and planning.

He explained that all modes of transportation were present in the state, thus the need to develop an intra-transport management system by creating NISTMA.

Mr Bello explained that the agency would facilitate traffic law enforcement, curb growing security challenges using technology and expand the Internally Generated Revenue of the state among others.

“This agency will be responsible for the administration, control and management of traffic matters.

“It will do this with a system of operation that is efficient and responsive to the demand of traffic to provide safe and orderly movement of persons and goods on our roads,’’ he said.

The governor tasked the agency to build and develop a culture of law abiding road users through sensitisation and enforcement of regulations that would help reduce road accidents.

Mr Bello also said the government had added 63 buses to the fleet of the state’s transport system and would continue to support the sector to maintain the vehicles.

Earlier, Zakari Tanko, Commissioner for Transport, said Governor Bello assented to the law establishing NISTMA in July 2021 to achieve an effective and inclusive management of the transportation sector in the state. 

(NAN)