Anambra Sacks 135 Traffic Workers

No fewer than 135 workers of the Anambra State Traffic Agency, (ASTA) have been sacked for extortion, bribery, intimidation and harassment of motorists in the state.

The state Commissioner for Transport, Mr Chike Ohamobi, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Awka on Wednesday.

According to him, the decision of the ministry to sack the workers followed government’s resolution to purge the ministry of bad eggs.

He said that the affected workers had been handed over to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Following the development, Ohamobi said the ministry had set up a monitoring team that would henceforth monitor the activities of the ASTA staff.

The commissioner said that the ministry would collaborate with the police, the State Security Service, Federal Road Safety Commission and other security agencies to ensure that ASTA workers conform to the best practice.

Ohamobi noted that no staff of ASTA had any reason to be involved in extortion and other social vices, when government had ensured that they were well paid and promptly too.

He said that the State Government-owned transport company, TRACAS would soon be privatised on ground of poor performance.

He said that only five of the 40 Peugeot vehicles that were handed over to the management of the transport company by present administration were functioning.