The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Niger State Council Comrade Abu Nmodu, had emphasised the need for stronger synergy and collaboration between the officers of the state Motor Vehicle Administration Agency and NUJ to guarantee effective dissemination of activities of the organisation.
Comrade Abu Nmodu stated this when he led members of his executives on a courtesy visit to the Acting Executive Director, Dr. Mohammed Danladi Bako, in his office in Minna, the state capital.
The chairman, who commended the ED for his commitment to duty, however, advised him to always avail himself of the services of NUJ to adequately publicise the activities of the organisation.
He called for effective collaboration between the organisation and the media and assured him of the continuous support of journalists to enable him to achieve his set objectives.
While responding, Dr. Mohammed Bako expressed his appreciation to the leadership of the union for the visit and promised to return the visit at the appropriate time.
He said the state Motor Vehicle Administration Agency has the capacity to generate about Three Billion Naira (N3b) annually as revenue if its potentials were utilised maximally, adding that due to inadequate utilisation of the potentials, the agency now generates about Five Hundred Million (N500m) annually.
He called on the state government to provide the organisation with a conducive working environment, patrol vehicles, equipment, ICT, training of personnel, and the implementation of a separate salary scale for staff to motivate them instead of the present Grade Level system, as obtained in other paramilitary organisations, to enable the agency to realise its goals.
Dr. Danladi Bako also revealed that the agency was understaffed, with a staff strength of only One Hundred and Fifty (150) personnel, which he said was grossly inadequate and called for more funding by the government to achieve the set objectives.
He listed some of the mandates of the agency, which include registration and testing of vehicles and persons, licencing of vehicles, ensuring the roadworthiness of vehicles, and issuance of hackney permits to motorists.
The executive director then appealed to journalists to assist by sensitising the people on the importance of obtaining vehicle particulars and compliance with traffic rules and regulations.