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The Cross River government has read a riot act to commercial transport operators on provision of hand sanitisers in their vehicles for use by passengers in the state.
Consequent upon the directive of Governor Ben Ayade, employees of the Ministry of Health were yesterday stationed at the office of the Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency to sell the product to transporters and members of the public.
Addressing newsmen in Calabar, the agency’s Director General, Godwin Nyiam, stated that his organisation would embark on total enforcement in the wake of the pervasive Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country.
He said: “All commercial vehicles and drivers who have not purchased their hand sanitisers are advised to go to the agency’s office in Calabar to purchase theirs.
“In the same vein, all tricycle operators are now required to carry only one passenger at a time and commercial taxi drivers must not carry more than two passengers once.
“Failure to comply with the new directive, which is put in place to checkmate the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus (COVID-19) will attract severe consequences such as impoundment of vehicles.”
However, a taxi driver, John Eyo, said his colleagues were dissatisfied with the orders, alleging that government did not care about the masses in the state.
His words: “How do they expect us to survive, they still sell tickets for N550, they expect us to carry only two passengers at a time, the fuel stations are still selling fuel for N145 per litre despite the Federal Government’s directives.
“Now, they brought a new one that every driver must purchase hand sanitisers for N1000 or his vehicle would be impounded.”
He continued: “That cannot happen: Are these hand sanitisers not supposed to be given free to residents?
“While other nations are carrying out measures to support their citizens at this time of COVID-19, the government of Cross River is only punishing its residents more and more.