New traffic warden service to employ 1.4m Nigerians

All is now set to recruit over 1.4million Nigerians into traffic warden service across the nation in line with President Goodluck Jonathan's transformation agenda in job creation.

The initiator of the project and chairman of VANCTRAWACT, a Human Right and Non Governmental Organization, Mr JK Johnsonapla gave the hint in Nnewi yesterday while explaining the new initiative, disclosing that the project had received the approval of President Jonathan after a recent visit of the group at the Aso Rock. He said that the project would be handled by the Transitional Management Committee and the co-ordinating NGO, on behalf of the federal government.

Mr Johnsonapla said the aim of the project was to redefine the road traffic control function as a veritable subsector for social, economic, human and urban development. He explained that the project would introduce a pragmatic and proactive change in the road traffic control subsector to a world-class standard away from the current "agonizing" system of road traffic control.

"The NGO, fighting the cause of the traffic warden service and a sense of belonging of traffic wardens in the public service, is fervently committed to the enforcement of the Court of Appeal judgement that recently granted autonomy to the traffic warden service. The NGO has proactively put in place a methodology through which the traffic warden service has to be repositioned back to her statutory function on the road," 

Mr Johnsonapla explained.

According to the co-ordinating secretary of the NGO, Evangelist Emeka Ekenonu, the project would be handled with utmost vigor and transparency. He said in distribiting the 1.4million jobs, emphasis would be laid on percentage of personnel cardre. He said the project would absorb 980,000 into the rank and file, 280,000 into inspectors cardre and 140,000 into officers cardre.

Explaining further the new road traffic deal, Evangelist Ekenonu said: "President Jonathan has said that employment is the inalianable right of fellow Nigerians, to enable them work, earn salary, to improve their standard of living, improve their social being and contribute their quota in the nation building."