The Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), in Niger has trained 2,000 drivers on road signs, vehicle maintenance and traffic rules in the last few months, Mr Iliyasu Jankaro, an Assistant Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer, has said.
Jankaro told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Minna that the measure was part of efforts to promote a sound driving culture and minimise road crashes.
He, however, said that some drivers, who claimed to have passed through Driving Schools, had been denied certification owing to gross incompetence.
“We had no choice but to send seven of such drivers them back to driving school for more training because the roads are not testing grounds for amateur drivers.
“Some of the drivers we rejected found it very difficult to start the vehicle; when they eventually did, they almost caused tragedies and had to be assisted by our personnel in the vehicle,” he said.
The VIO chief, who is in charge of provost testing and training, said it was disheartening that some persons still think they could gamble with driving skills.
According to him, some presented themselves for testing because driver’s licence serves as identification or a requisite for opening an account in the bank, whereas they knew little or nothing about driving.
“Driver’s licence should not be a criterion for opening an account because it is a professional thing.
“We shall continue to weed out these bad eggs as long as they pass through our driving tests; we are not going to hesitate to deny them our certification.
“Certifying them means putting other road users at risk and we can never take such risk no matter their pressure and where they are from” he said.
He, however, appealed to the state government to provide the department with patrol vehicles, ambulances and testing vehicles to enhance the efficiency of the personnel on the line of duty, especially at crucial moments. (NAN)
