The Chairman of Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, Mayor Victor Ikeji has banned the loading and offloading of goods from trucks in Umuahia North metropolis from 7 am to 8 pm, daily, to ensure safety of residents and free flow of traffic.
This is even as he revoked previous executive orders in the LGA which conflict with the new policy.
The LGA Chairman, who gave the directive through executive order he issued, said the ban was immediate and also became necessary, following challenges of congestion and disruptions of public peace, being experienced in parts of the Umuahia urban areas, resulting from activities of trucks operators and the goods owners.
The LGA Chairman, who described the activities of truck drivers in the city as “unwholesome”, said dealers on wholesale and retail goods in the Umuahia North metropolis have been strictly prohibited from offloading and loading their goods from trucks on public roads, public streets or any public space from 7am to 8pm.
He directed the affected business owners to utilize designated offloading/loading bays at Ubani Market and other designated parks 24 hours.
Mayor Ikeji, who directed relevant law enforcement agencies and taskforce, to effectively enforce this order without prejudice, warned that
“Any wholesale/retail dealer or vendor of goods and services who violates the order would pay 200,000 fine or above.
Apart from this, the defaulter
will face other legal actions from the LGA.
He noted that the council shall approve any other specific locations for loading and offloading of goods.
But, while many private vehicle owners and other road users are happy with the LGA Chairman’s directive, some truck owners who spoke to DAILY POST correspondent on Wednesday, feared that the policy may expose them to overzealous touts and desperate revenue agents in the city.
