Anambra: RTEAN commercial drivers to get health insurance — State Chairman
By Abba – Eku Onyeka
Each Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) commercial driver will get health insurance coverage and account in any of the commercial banks in Anambra, the newly inaugurated Chairman of the Association in the state, Comr. Celestine Afam Aniero has promised.
The Chairman made the promise after inauguration with his entire executives by the national officers of the RTEAN at its secretariat on Friday in Abuja.
His other plans in Anambra, according to him were to among others: stop those he accused of collaborating with some government officials to charge unimaginable amount from commercial vehicles at motor parks from doing that; help the state in revenue generation; partner the state eradicate touting in the motor parks across Anambra; ensure that through the national secretariat, they cushion the effect of COVID – 19 pandemic on members and; alcoholism in the park and, while driving.
The former Chairman of the Association in the state, Kingsley Madiagwuna AKA Baron, who was elevated to the position of Deputy National President (Logistics and Planning) promised to work with the newly inaugurated executives, for RTEAN to move forward in the state. Advising the Chairman to carry all along, he also told him to ensure that he is transparent in discharge of his duties, which if done, according to him, would make the Association achieve its aims and objectives in Anambra.
The National Preisident, Alh. Musa Mohammed also in an interview advised the newly inaugurated executives and all the members of the Association to be law – abiding, as well as embrace peace. He said with peace and total adherence to the law, there would be sanity, love and peace in the Association and Nigeria in general.
In another development, the Deputy President (Admin) Amb. Mohammed Bishara and his counterpart in (Operation), Chief Sadiq Abubakar have demanded improved security condition on Nigerian roads and establishment of transport bank in the country respectively, the industry to turn the economy around.
Making his points, Bishara noted that insecurity on Nigerian roads affects transport industry. He added that the industry connects all the social activities, saying that insecurity affects almost every sector of human endeavors. He therefore said: “When we are talking about insecurity, we are talking about almost everything that affects everybody.”
Stating that road transporters take passengers and goods from one location to the other, he says that the transporters are the first victims of the insecurity. Due to insecurity on the road, he went on, people prefer air transportation to road, by using all their savings.
Calling that all hands be on deck to fight the evil menace, Amb. Bishara said that RTEAN is doing its best in conjunction with the security agencies in the fight against insecurity, even as he hailed government in the fight to curb insecurity.
Calling for change of attitude in the country, by giving useful information on insecurity to security agencies, he said no one knows whose turn it will be tomorrow. Speaking on security outfits organized by some states in the country, he wondered if they could foot the bill, even as he said that he is in support of shoot at sight order to law enforcement agencies by Mr President at any non security agent seen with AK-47.
When asked to comment on the increase in fuel pump price, he said that they hadn’t increased the transport fares, even as be added that he knew that government would do the right thing at the right time.
On the issue of transport bank being demanded by the transporters, the National Deputy President (Operation), Chief Sadiq Abubakar said as core investors on land transportation, the RTEAN has over the time been demanding establishment of transport bank for effective business transactions in the industry. He said transportation being capital intensive, if a bank is established for the industry, as did for agriculture and others, the transporters would turn the economy round, just as he added it would make way for them in the area of easy assessment of soft loans.
When asked, he said that there had been peace and cordial relationship between different transport trade unions in the country, just as he added that those who were transporters in different Associations would also benefit from the bank. Sadiq Abubakar said that road transport is the bedrock of transportation in Nigeria, saying that 95% of goods and passengers being moved from one location to the other in Nigeria are by land transport.
