By Muhammad M. Idris
The Management of Kogi State Internal Revenue Service has joined the Kogi State Government in achieving a more secure State by flagging off the registration of all commercial transport operators in the State on Monday, 6th of September, 2021, at the State Township Stadium, Lokoja.
Speaking with the Corporate Communications Unit of the Service, the Acting Executive Chairman of the Service, Yusufu Abubakar, disclosed that the process flow of registering commercial transport operators in the State would avail the Service the opportunity to have their data while it will enable the government to know the number of commercial transporters operating within the confines of the State.
According to him, the registration will be carried out across the three senatorial districts of the State as he urged passengers who use the services of the commercial transporters in the State to join in this security approach by staying aware of the commercial operators through their unique numbers that will be assigned to them as it will ease efficient tracking whenever the need arises.
The Acting Executive Chairman also urged the commercial transporters in the State to register within the stipulated period of two weeks, stressing that whoever refuses to do so will not be allowed to operate in the State after the exercise is over.
Also speaking on the significance of the exercise, the Special Adviser to Kogi State Government on Security Matters, Jerry Omodara, stated that the registration of commercial transport operators in the State is a new innovation approved by the Kogi State Governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to curb the issue of insecurity associated to the sector. He added that at the end of the registration of the transport operators in the State, over 4,000 taxis and mini buses, and over 6,000 commercial tricycles and motorcycles would have been brought to full documentation and data collection of their operators to improve the security network of the State.
According to him, the State Government has taken time to engage critical starkeholders in the transport business to intimate them with the benefit of such exercise to the State, and to their various unions. He added that the registration exercise will provide data for the State that will enable the government to track down any stolen vehicle, motorcycle and tricycle in the State, as well as the
the database collected can be used to provide quality healthcare to the operators through the State Health Insurance Scheme.
The high point of the event was the display of ID numbers by the commercial transporters present at the exercise venue which was led by Olubunmi Ajayi and Hillary Egwudah, which are both Directors at the Service.