As part of effort to further to curb security challenges in Kogi State, the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) has commenced the registration of over 10,000 commercial transporters.
Speaking with newsmen on Monday at the township stadium , Lokoja the venue of registration exercise , the Special Adviser to Kogi State Government on Security Matter, Jerry Omadara, said the registration of commercial transport operators in Kogi State was a new innovation and a strategy approved by Governor Yahaya Bello to curb issue of insecurity associated to the sector.
He noted that the exercise targeted , over 4,000 taxis and mini buses, adding that over 6,000 commercial tricycles and Motorcycles would also be captured to improve security of lives in the state.
According to him “We have involved all the critical stakeholders in the transport business to see the benefits of the registration to the state and to their various unions. The registration will provide data for the state to enable government track down any stolen vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles.
“The data base can also be used to provide quality healthcare to the operators through the State Health Insurance Scheme of the State” he said.
The Acting Chairman , KGIRS Mallam Yusufu Abubakar while speaking on the significance of the exercise stated that the registration of members of commercial transporters would availed the Service the opportunity to have their data base just as it would enable the government to know the number of transporters operating within the confine of the state .
Mallam Abubakar who mentioned that the registration would be carried out across the three senatorial districts of the State, urged passengers that patronize the commercial transporters to try and memorize the numbers assigned to the transporters to ease tracking whenever the need arises.
He advised the commercial transporters in the state to come and register within the stipulated period of two weeks, stressing that whoever refused to do that on time would not be able to operate in the state, saying such offenders would be penalize.
One of the motorcycle rider who completed his registration Inusa Musa described the exercise as a welcome development to fish out the bad eggs in the transport business.
He appealed to the management of KGIRS to extend the registration period to one month to enable more members can participate in the exercise.
