Governor Zulum Proposes Tougher Penalties for Overloading vehicles

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, met with the Road Transport Workers Union, Transport Commissioner, and security heads to address issues of overloaded heavy-duty vehicles damaging the roads.

Governor Zulum expressed disappointment over the nonchalant attitude of some road users, especially heavy truck drivers carrying overloaded goods.

During the meeting, the governor highlighted that the union had previously agreed and committed to complying with government directives.

Read Also: Governor Zulum Laments Roads Decay Due to overloading

He mentioned discovering heavy-duty trucks carrying overloaded goods on Gamboru Ngala road, heading to neighboring countries like Chad and Cameroon.

He said “what we want is to stop the issue of overloading, no one is stopping anybody from loading goods, especially the transborder trade. Myself and the people of Borno have expressed delight over the effort of the federal government led by President Tinubu on the issue of transborder trade. But that shouldn’t be at the detriment of the people of Borno as well as the federal government.

“The entire roads are destroyed all led to one issue of not adhering to the rules and regulations. My interface to the stakeholders meeting with the road transport union is to warn and bring to their kind attention, henceforth, any vehicle that is plying on our major roads carrying goods beyond the maximum allocation limit, the goods shall be confiscated.”

The governor said the vehicles coming into Maiduguri could also escalate the situation.

“We will ensure a wider range publication for those trucks drivers coming into Borno on our stand on the issue of overloaded trucks in the state.

“We will also look at the state laws and that of the federal laws to propose a bill that will be sent to the state assembly to amend a certain portion of the Borno State Road Transport Management Agency with steeper penalty for defaulters of the rules and regulations on the roads including the drivers. We want a situation where all trucks would load their goods not exceeding more than 40 tones within the state.”

The Governor also directed the Commissioner of Works to ensure the completion of trailer pack within four to six weeks.

He also noted that the Government will constitute a strong Tax Force Committee with representatives of the Road Transport Workers’ Union to checkmate the excesses of this menace.

The Honorable Commissioner of Transport, Aliyu Buba Lawan, thanked the Governor for giving them the opportunity to amend some of the mistakes going on within the Ministry.

The Commissioner, on behalf of the Ministry and the Road Workers Union, promised to take all necessary action given by the Government to ensure that the overloading of trucks plying the roads and bridges in the state have stopped.

The Commissioner announced the putting in place a weight-bridge from Muna to Gamborun-Ngala.

He ensured to work with BODMA and to solicit support from the Nigerian Police through the Police Commissioner in the State.