Travellers’ safety: Ondo govt, NURTW introduce insurance policy

The Ondo State Government in Collaboration with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state has introduced an insurance welfare package for travellers in the state.

The programme tagged: “Ondo State Passengers Welfare and Security Transit Scheme” will be launched on Tuesday and will be handled by an insurance firm.

Addressing a press conference on Friday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transport, Tobi Ogunleye said the scheme was designed basically for the welfare and safety of travellers in the state.

Ogunleye revealed that at every motor parks in the state, passengers would be requested to pay an additional fee of N100 as premium to their transport fees.

He noted that in the events of accident, victims and their relatives would be entitled to some compensation as determined by the insurance firm.

The governor’s aide disclosed that the scheme would also ensure security of lives of travellers as it would put an end to road side loading by commercial drivers.

Ogunleye added that it would now become an offense for drivers to carry passengers along the road.

His words, “If you notice in recent time, the menace of highway ritual killings and kidnapping is rampant and most of the victims always accuse the drivers’ union of complicity.

“This is what actually informs the road transport workers to bring this initiative in order to watch their image clean of the accusations of this unwarranted situation. That is the basic background of the scheme.

“Most importantly is the question of safety and security of passengers. The idea of writing and keeping manifest at various motor parks has been for fun.

“What this scheme means as being embraced by the Ondo State government through the ministry of Transportation, we want to see how to take and ensure lives of our passengers from these motor parks.”

Explaining that the scheme is not about the money, he said, “Apart from data gathering, this scheme will be backed with an insurance cover of reasonable fee of a token of N100 from Ondo State and if you are coming to the state another, N100. It is not about the money but about the safety in case of any accident.

“It was the initiatives of the NURTW in the state and we believe apart from writing the names of passengers at the parks, it has to be backed by insurance cover. They now have an understanding with a private insurance company and they brought it to the government and we studied the proposal very well”.

Also speaking, the Principal Partner of the Insurance scheme, Aadel Consults and Associates, Dr. Isaac-Tony Ogidi said the firm is partnering with the government and the NURTW to ensure safety of passengers in the state.

“We have been doing in other state. It is designed to ensure that passengers have a kind of security”.