Impersonation Of Ministry Officials Worries Commissioner

The Rivers State Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Tammy Danagogo, has expressed worries over the rate of impersonation of officials of his ministry in recent time by touts who claim to be in task force from the ministry.

Danagogo, who was reacting to series of reports that have reached him on the touting and impersonation of the ministry taskforce, explained that his ministry had never inaugurated any taskforce to do the work of Rivers State Traffic Management Authority (TIMARIV).

He said that the only group set up as taskforce is the one that goes out for inspection of illegal structure and those who turn the streets to their shops, with the mandate to remove all illegal structures that have defaced the aesthetic beauty of the city, in the current wave of Urban renewal.

The commissioner maintained that they have not sent any group to arrest vehicles on the road or molest road users in the name of Urban development officials, except that those who turn the road to motor-parks and do illegal business of loading and off-loading of vehicles are part of the mandate of the ministry’s taskforce.

According to him, anybody or group that operates arrest or impound vehicles on the road in the name of urban development is not from the ministry, and should be treated as impersonation and be dealt with accordingly.

He said that there is no way his ministry will send out taskforce to do the work of the TIMARIV which they are not mandated to do.

Danagogo, therefore, urged members of the public to disregard any claim by any group which does TIMARIV’s work in the name of Urban Development Taskforce and report same to the police.

Corlins Walter