At what point shall one say that there’s consistent brand of colours for the commercial vehicles in the South East, Nigeria.
Some of the states in South East like Imo State have had to change from one colour to another being introduced by each administration. In Abia State, one can say without guessing the colour of the commercial vehicles, especially the tricycle operators, otherwise known as Keke NAPEP. Abia has maintained one colour over time. In Enugu State, their colours are not in doubt, as one can see in Ebonyi and Anambra.
But the case is different in Imo state. There is no government that comes without one form of introduction of taxi colour. During the leadership of Chief Achike Udenwa, the commercial vehicles especially taxi/cab operators and Keke NAPEP had one known colour that beautified the city of Owerri.
Then, Owerri became the cleanest state both environmentally and structurally; those included even the commercial vehicle operators. Others emulated the pattern of Imo. The state was a learning point for other South East states.
During the administration of Chief Ikedi Ohakim, he maintained the colours, so much so that Imo gained recognizable laurels as the cleanest state east of the Niger. Most persons did not understand that the neatness of a state does not entail just environmental cleanliness but what counted were also the unifying colours of her commercial vehicle operators that illustrated sense of order and coordination.
Those years, taxi, Keke and commercial drivers were orderly and respectful, not today. Things went haywire when Owelle Rochas Okorocha came on board. He introduced individual registration operation. The state turned to confusion of sort as the number of different colours of commercial vehicles competed with the blinking of the eyes. The madness on the road then was occasioned by the operation of commercial drivers.
Then, one could see different colours being registered under different companies. Okorocha started the biometric capturing of commercial vehicles but because of the exorbitant amount charged, that move didn’t fly because the commercial drivers protested. At this point, Imo that used to be a point of attraction became a point of distraction and was pushed to the back end because of the myriad of changes that deviated from its known pattern.
It is said that when a system deviates from its original pattern, connecting back to the status-quo ante becomes difficult. That was the case of Imo. Today, because Imo deviated from her known pattern of order and serenity, the state has become a shadow of itself in all say.
Today, Hope Uzodinma has started again his change of colours for the commercial vehicles, with introduction of biometric capturing to check the level of insecurity in the state. Can this be sustained, logically concluded and will it be the end of repainting and painting of commercial vehicles. What about the amount charged the commercial drivers. The new colour of the Uzodimma administration has just added to the plethora of the colours in town.
News Echo thinks that Imo can get it right again, like other states in the South East, if she starts a project and concludes it with permanence, not really using it to settle some political hangers-on. We discovered that the governments keep changing colours to settle their party faithful. Everything is not politics. We also wonder how and at what point Imo became a guinea pig where a negative test-run takes place.
News Echo urges the present administration to ensure unified commercial vehicles’ colours and fleet numbers that will check the high level of kidnapping and other sundry criminal activities being perpetuated with the unpainted commercial vehicles. This should form part of the measures to checkmate the rate of crime in the state. The time to do this is now!
