The Vehicle Owners Association Of Nigeria (VOAN) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to liaise with them in the distribution of transportation palliatives to drivers In other to ensure the sustainability of the programme.
VOAN made the appeal in a letter dated August 7th, jointly signed by the National President, Peacemaker Vincent Okoko, and Secretary General, Makinde Olawole.
The association in the letter addressed to the President through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), urged Tinubu to ensure that whoever must benefit from the transportation palliatives should first obtain a letter of clearance from its office.
“We plead with Mr. President to ensure that whoever must benefit from the transportation palliatives as promised by your good self should first obtain LETTER OF COMFORT OR CLEARANCE from our office.
“This will enable us carry-out due diligence and run a background check on such individual or Corporate bodies to ensure that they are genuine, viable, and have the capacity to manage the vehicles or loan facility for the benefit of Nigerians. This also will allow us to monitor usage and report abuses.
“Furthermore, this arrangement will enable VOAN to use group pressure to recover the automobile loan when there is default by any vehicle owner or beneficiary. This is aimed at protecting the Federal Government’s scheme and ensures the sustainability of the good intention of the government into the indefinite future”.
Furthermore, the umbrella body of all drivers in Nigeria vowed that it would not allow anyone to sabotage the efforts of the government in alleviating the sufferings of drivers.
“In the light of the above however, it is common knowledge that in the past, these types of laudable initiatives or palliatives were hijacked by some unscrupulous elements or many times marred by cronyism or outright frustration of the efforts of the government by the faulty process and procedure adopted by the relevant agencies.
“VOAN as a public advocate for the welfare of Nigerians through the transportation system cannot fold its arms or watch helplessly as these set of people would once again position themselves to sabotage all the government efforts this time with the expected huge financial resources that shall be made available to the economy through these palliatives.
“VOAN also cannot watch while these set of people who do not mean well for Nigeria take on the good intentions of the government and at the end of the day make Nigerians begin to curse their leaders who may be oblivious of the activities of these saboteurs.
“This is because folding our arms will amount to gross dereliction of social responsibility of the Association, patriotism, and nationalism. As stated by Frantz Fanon“Every onlooker is either a coward or a traitor”. VOAN is neither an Association of cowards nor traitors and we stand solidly behind Mr. President to ensure that our members and the entire transportation community get the expected benefits”, the association stated.
