The Dark Side Of Hustle Culture And What To Do Instead

By Polycarp Onwubiko

In the spirited efforts to scale down the ever-escalating incidence of road crashes, as well as the carnage and dumping of unidentified dead persons, the Amalgamated Road Travellers/Passengers Association of Nigeria (ARTPAN), in collaboration with the Anambra State Ministry of Transport and the state command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), organized a one-day Sensitization Seminar at the May-Roses Hotel, Amawbia, Awka, the capital territory, on Thursday, November 30, 2023.

The theme of the seminar was “Passengers/Travelers Welfare: An Organized Transport Manifest Scheme in Anambra State.” The aims and objectives of the seminar were rooted in the role of public transporters towards passengers to ensure safe travel. Taking cognizance of road crashes, the victims’ relatives would be contacted, and in addition, the job of mortuary attendants would be eased, as unidentified corpses constitute health hazards to the public.

The focal point is to reinvent the abandoned Passenger Manifest with proper arrangement, showing all the necessary information. Additionally, this fulfills the requirements of insurance companies, which by law are meant to pay compensation to road crash victims and their relatives.

The seminar, which featured presentations of papers and oral remarks, renewed the awareness of the traveling public not to take things for granted. The importance of reinventing commercial vehicles Travelers’ Manifest, as is done in air travels, became more appreciative to align with the global standard practice in motor commercial transportation.

                  

Dwelling extensively on the crucial need to restore and inject a modern method into the passenger manifest, the secretary of ARRPAN, Stephen Osai, said that ARTPAN, as a legally registered association by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on the 7th of January, 2018, aims to provide much-needed welfare for passengers in Nigeria. The association has officers in the 36 states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“Before now, we noted with dismay the way passengers involved in road crashes are treated, including in medical facilities where, most times, they are required to make a deposit before they can be treated, thereby causing us to lose our loved ones untimely, which could have been averted. How then will this association change the narrative?

“The association, in bridging the gap, will be coordinating with the FRSC, ATMA, and other relevant stakeholders in the evacuation of accident victims to hospitals and ensuring they get immediate access to medical attention. It is important to note that our robust insurance scheme has been styled in such a way that there must be compensation to the passengers (our members) when the unexpected happens.

“It is a collective responsibility for us all as we help in actualizing this. There must be proper driver orientation to always adhere to the stipulated speed limit, as this has really caused us pains. I urge transport companies here present to take this message home; that ARTPAN is ready to provide the necessary welfare for passengers.”

                                

The Secretary, ARTPAN, further passionately appealed to the Anambra state government through Hon Commissioner for Transport, Barrister Mrs. Patricia Igwebike, to support ARTPAN in achieving its aims and objectives since the body is the rightful organization to take proper care of the traveling public. He deplored instances where revenue task force carrying guns, claiming to be the staff of Anambra Internal Revenue Service (IRS), regularly storm motor parks demanding a share of the manifest charges from the transport operators while they do not provide the concomitant services to the passengers traveling on the highway.

A Lagos-based insurance practitioner, Mr. Okechukwu Achusim, commended ARTPAN for holding the seminar, as it was anchored on the welfare of passengers on board of commercial vehicles. He said that the insurance companies have keyed into the global standard, and with proper information in the Passenger Manifest, payment of compensation for road crash victims would no longer be delayed.

 

He decried overtaxing passengers in addition to resorting to unethical practices to distort the road crash incident, ostensibly to shortchange the insurance companies and make money out of the misfortune of victims of road crashes.

He said that records should be electronically transferred to the insurance companies, and a daily data bank maintained for people that commute daily since the state government might need it for planning with respect to revenue generation. He advised ARTPAN to be faithful in paying the premium, which will be graduated in the course of time.

In her brief remarks, Barrister Rita Ogbuagu affirmed what the insurance expert had said, advising that ARTPAN should strive to be honest with the insurance companies for smooth cooperation. She stressed proper filling out of the manifest to enable the insurance companies to meet up with the strict demands of the regulatory agencies. She commended Governor Charles Soludo for striving to accomplish his vision of transforming the state into a livable investment destination.

In their separate remarks, Mr. Sylvester Obiakor and Mike Osuji, while commending ARTPAN, stressed the need for transparency and accountability to get the support of the state government.

Also speaking on behalf of the Hon Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Christopher Okeke, while hailing ARTPAN, advised commercial motorists to be mindful of traffic rules and regulations, especially as the Yuletide is approaching. He reiterated the government’s ban on the sale of alcohol and drugs in the motor parks and advised motorists to be conscious of keeping their vehicles roadworthy and refrain from parking at unauthorized places to avoid payment of fees to ATMA operatives.

In her remarks, the Anambra Federal Road Service Commission (FRSC) Chief Route Commander, Emelda Odunukwe, who represented the State Sector Commander, said that the essence of the Passenger Manifest is to identify road crash victims, both dead and injured, who are carried to the hospital.

She stressed the need to fill the manifest properly and copies sent to the FRSC to contact the relatives of road crash victims and other appropriate quarters for documentation and necessary action like the insurance companies for prompt processing of the claims by the victims and the relatives of the dead.

She advised ARTPAN to advise passengers to put down phone numbers of their relatives and not theirs and indicate the gender (male or female), while the kids should have their names indicated at the back of the manifest. From experience, she contended that over 90 percent of road crashes were due to the carelessness of the drivers.

In his remarks, the VIO, Engineer Mac-Donald Achuam, advised ARTPAN to intensify efforts on sensitization programs, adding that his office is always on hand to help out in the event of road crashes and work cooperatively with FRSC and ATMA. He cautioned drivers against overloading, which leads to greater fatalities when road crashes occur.

The Hon Speaker of Anambra House of Assembly, Hon. Somto Udeze, represented by the Chief Whip of the House, Barrister Jude Ngodili, said that the House of Assembly will domesticate the Federal law on ARTPAN since it is the role of the legislature to make laws for the good of the society.

He said that the seminar was enlightening with respect to the welfare of the traveling public. He appealed for cooperative efforts of ARTPAN, FRSC, ATMA, and insurance companies to enable the transport sector to strive to meet the global standard for the overall welfare of society.

He urged ARTPAN to adhere to the state government’s rules on the payment of fees