HUNDREDS of commercial drivers have turned the Lagos State Drivers
Institute, LASDRI, Oshodi, into some sort of home, in their bid to get
accredited for the re-training and re-certification by the institute.
Sources said the drivers throng the retraining institute at 11:00pm where they allegedly pass the night
inside their vehicles. While those who cannot arrive at such times, storm the
centre as early as 2:00 am the next
day to be among the 75 persons that to be accredited for the two days
retraining course.
Retraining course
It was also learnt
that compilation of the list for the day commenced at about 1:00 am and before dawn, the number required for that day
training would have been reached. However, others whose names appear after the
number required for the day, can only be accredited if some of those between
the 75 number mark were absent at the commencement of the training at 9:00 am.
It would be recalled
that Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos
State signed into law the new
traffic law for the state on August 2. The law, among other provisions, makes
it mandatory for all professional drivers operating within the state to pass
through LASDRI for re-certification and retraining once every year. When
Vanguard visited the centre, both drivers whose re-training certificate had
expired and those who have not been retrained at all were expected to undergo
similar training.
One of the
commercial drivers identified as Baba Kafayat, a cab driver told Vanguard that
commercial drivers coming for the training had no option than to either
stay-back at their garage after the day’s work and leave for the institute as
early as possible, “or park their vehicles anywhere closer to this place
to wait until about 1:00 am when the list of those who will be accredited for
that day training will be compiled.”
Driver’s bitter
experience
Narrating his
ordeal, Baba Kafayat who spoke in Yoruba muttered “Last week Monday I heard on
radio an advert sponsored by the state government. After making enquiries from
my colleagues I discovered that the new traffic law states that I will have to
be re-trained by the driving institute before I will become eligible to drive
on Lagos roads.
“Immediately I heard
this, I drove to this Oshodi centre for the exercise. When I got here, I was
told that I will have to pay N1, 000 to a particular bank at Opebi, Ikeja, and
after such payment, I would bring the teller to the institute before I would be
registered for the training.
“On Tuesday at about
7:00am when I got to this place with
my teller to commence the training as advertised, I was surprised with what I
saw here. I was informed that only 75 person are trained daily. And the numbers
required for that day training had been compiled. I then left with the
intention of coming earlier the next day.
“When I got here the
next day, Wednesday, at about 6:00am, I was amazed when I was also informed
that the number required for the day had been achieved and that putting down my
name was a mere formality. During my interaction with those who were already
trained, I discovered the strategies they had to adopt before they could get
trained.
Sleeping inside car
“At the close of
work on Wednesday, I did not go home instead I slept inside my car at the
garage. By 3:00 am when I got here, I
was shocked with the number of people I met at the entrance. When I was given
the list to register my name, I was number 64. And after completing the lecture
on Thursday, we were asked to come on Friday, for the eye test and Biometric
data capturing exercise.”
It would be recalled
that the state government established five LASDRI centres in line with the five
districts of the state tagged IBILE: Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos
Island and Epe. On why the choice
of Oshodi centre by most drivers it was discovered that the facilities at the
four other centres were not as effective as those at the Oshodi centre which is
the headquarters. It was also learnt that from the advertisement by the state
government, none of the four other centres were mentioned.
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