IGR: Oyo launches new park system, today  

The Government of Oyo State, on Friday, launched a new Park Management System (PMS) declaring that the initiative would boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
The state’s Commissioner for Public Works, Infrastructure and Transport, Professor Raphael Afonja, who stated this while addressing newsmen in the conference Hall of the Ministry, said that the management committees would be inaugurated on Monday.
According to him, the new PMS would include a team of Park Managers who will coordinate activities at the parks located in each of the 33 local governments as well as two disciplinary Committees to coordinate Motor Parks and Tippers/Lorries Parks.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Taiwo Adisa, quoted the commissioner as saying that the development was borne out of the pressing need to ensure sanity in the management of the parks.
The commissioner said: “I am here to basically inform you of the recent development concerning the motor parks, garages, and quarries. We are all aware that recently, the state rolled out a plan to engage consultants that will be collecting revenue on behalf of the government, to increase our internally generated revenue in the state.
“The state also decided to appoint park managers across the state through all 33 local governments, and the goal is to have these people become the eyes of government and also to collect revenue on behalf of the state government, which will be remitted through the consultants and sent to the government coffers.”
The commissioner further stated: “The government has decided to have park managers in place to collect revenue across the state on behalf of the government. This is totally different from the traditional union thing that has been going on before now and it is aimed at ensuring that appropriate people that can actually spearhead the collection of revenue are put in charge of revenue collection of the state.”
Prof. Afonja, however, declared that the ban on the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) still remained in force throughout the state.
He said: “Regarding the illegal collection of fees in the state at the motor parks and garages including quarries, moving forward, these park managers and those who have been appointed will be collecting funds on behalf of the government….
He said: “I have been meeting with the unions in the past two weeks. We will soon have an issue with the okada riders. One thing I told them was that the consultants will be collecting N200 from them per day.”
The commissioner, however, dismissed, insinuations making the rounds in Ibadan that a leader of the NURTW, Mukaila Lamidi, aka Auxiliary, has been named as one of the park managers on behalf of the NURTW, stating that the 33 park managers to be named had no connection with the NURTW…

….govt warns NURTW members, foment trouble, go to jail

The Oyo State Government, on Sunday, warned some leaders of the suspended National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state to desist from carrying out the threats of violence issued in a video, which has gone viral in the last 24 hours.
A statement signed by the state’s Commissioner for Public Works and Infrastructure, Professor Raphael Afonja, noted that the government of Governor Seyi Makinde would bring the full weight of the law to bear on anyone caught disturbing peace and order in the state.
The government further called on the residents of the state to ignore the empty threats by leaders of the suspended union and go about their lawful businesses, noting that the state government and all the security agencies in the state remained alert and on top of the security situation.
The government maintained that though the leaders of the NURTW might have misinterpreted the Park Management System, which is aimed at rebranding the management of motor parks in the state, it would not sit idly and watch some individuals threaten the peace of the state.
The statement read in part: “The attention of the Honourable Commissioner for  Public Works and Infrastructure, Professor Raphael Afonja has been drawn to a video that has gone viral in the last 24 hours, in which some members of the banned Oyo State Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) were seen threatening to unleash violence in the state.
“It has come to the knowledge of the Ministry that a number of commentators and some of those who  were seen threatening mayhem have misinterpreted the initiative that has yielded the planned rebranding of the Motor Parks in the State under the aegis of the Park Management System(PMS) introduced by the current administration in Oyo State.
“The Ministry therefore wishes to place on record that the government of the day in Oyo State will not open its eyes and allow unwarranted activities threaten the peace of the good people of Oyo State.
“The Ministry wishes to urge the peace-loving residents of the state to go about their lawful duties without fear and intimidation.
“Let it, however, be known to any agents of violence or purveyours of trouble that the state would not hesitate to deal decisively against any threat of violence within the ambits of the law.
“Those seeking to throw the state into confusion have been at it for a long while with the series of traps that have continued to fail.
“It should also be noted that the laws of the land, including the Anti-Terrorism Act, fully and clearly denominate acts of violence and threats to instigate the same. Those who stand accused of accessories after the facts of treason and Treasonable felony are in no way excusable under the law.
“The Ministry would therefore urge everyone who do business around the Motor Parks in Oyo State to continue to abide by the laws of the land. Anything to the contrary would bring the full weight of the law to bear on the accused.”
The statement further explained that new Park Management Systems (PMS) initiative, apart from being introduced to sanitise the poor state of the parks across the state, would also assist in boosting the State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and also provide employment to the teaming youths across the state who would be recruited by the Park Managers.
“In another breath, the Ministry wishes to bring to the notice of the residents and the good people of Oyo State that the new Park Management Systems (PMS) that the initiative is aimed at sanitising the poor state of the parks spread around the state.
“Besides being a way of boosting the State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), the PMS will also provide employment to the teaming youths across the state who would be recruited by the Park Managers.
“The fear of job loss by those currently involved in the Park systems is unfounded because every able-bodied and law-abiding person willing to contribute to the proper management of the parks would be gainfully engaged.
“The Honourable Commissioner also wishes to reiterate the ban on activities of the NURTW at the Parks in the state, pending the resolution of the Union’s internal conflicts.”