The Enugu State Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO), Mr Val Chime, has appealed to the state government to recruit 60 fresh officers to beef up their manpower owing to the enormity of their job.
Chime told newsmen on Monday that the Agency needed 60 fresh regular officers to be able to provide manpower for the expansion of its zones. He said that currently the agency operates in six zones within the state, adding that they have plans to expand their operation.
The VIO Chief said that there were plans to expand its operational zones to every major axis of the state to ensure that accidents, due to unroadworthy vehicles, are minimised.
“Presently, we are having 13 regular VIO officers still remaining in the system, and we apply an ad-hoc staff arrangement to get the rest of the manpower that ensures our daily routine vehicle inspection work.
“The agency is gradually having an aged staff that needs younger officers who will learn the rudiments of the job, be energetic, agile, and zealous to withstand the hazards of the job. The older officers in the agency need younger officers to train and mentor them to maturity in the job, and those who will eventually take over from them in the near future.
“We are appealing to over safety-loving Governor, His Excellency, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, and our amiable Commissioner for Transport, Dr Obi Ozor, to grant the VIO this request,” he said.
Chime noted that no state in the federation has fewer than 50 regular VIO officials, adding that in Anambra, over 200 regular VIO officers are manning the 21 council areas of the state. Chime also called on the state government to support the agency with logistics, especially operational vehicles.
According to him, a situation where the agency does not have any operational vehicles remains discouraging.
