LAGOS LABELS SPARE PARTS DEALERS SECURITY THREATS

Lagos State Government says members of the Auto
Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association, operating within the Trade Fair
Complex on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, are constituting a security threat to
the state.

The government explained that it adopted the view
as a result of the refusal of the traders to comply with the  law guiding
their operations.

Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode
Opeifa, said this at a stakeholders meeting  on Wednesday, organised by
the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency.

He said despite efforts to make the operators to
regularise their business, ASPANDA members had refused to deal with the
government, claiming that they operate within a Federal Government territory.

Opeifa, who was represented by the Permanent
Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Sheyi Coker, added that the position was no
longer valid with the recent concessioning of the complex to private investors.
He urged the traders to cooperate with the government in the  overriding
interest of all.

Opeifa said, “The insistence of ASPANDA that they
operate outside the ambit of state government gives cause for concern.

“Lagos State Government has the primary
responsibility for public safety and security within its domain. So, ASPANDA
position is therefore inimical to the safety and security of the millions of
law-abiding residents of the state.”

The commissioner said there was need for constant
communication between auto spare parts dealers and the regulatory agency
considering the large concentration of vehicles in the state.

He said the government would continue to provide
a conducive environment for the dealers to do business in the state.

Permanent Secretary, MVAA, Mr. Akin Hanson, said
auto and spare parts dealers were strategically positioned and could play a
decisive role in crime prevention.