Most times, empirical evidences and on-the-spot verifications of matters tell better stories than information obtained though orthodox news outlets and social media platforms.
The case of Imo State Government owned Imo Transport Company, ITC, aptly falls into above injunction.
Few months ago, ITC was in the news for wrong reasons. Altercation between the transport company and an estranged employee brought to public knowledge the ludicrous escapades of the present management believed to be in contrast with plain dictates of commonsense.
A staff, Ohaegbulam Chijioke Kelvin took the leadership of the company under Uche Obiozor, the General Manager, to the cleaners, with unguarded utterances.
Using uncouth expressions that flooded the social media, the embattled staff called the attention of the Governor of the State, Hope Uzodimma, to theatre of absurdities ravaging the transport firm.
Ohaegbulam on May 20,2024 accused Obiozor of certain misdemeanor revolving around alleged high-handedness against certain categories of employees while favouring his cronies and loyalists engaged since he became the boss of the company. The allegation further goes to accuse the man in charge of ITC of lacking managerial skills to run the affairs of the government owned company adding that leaving him to experience more days as the General Manager would automatically see the establishment go comatose.
Stunned by the exposure targeted against his leadership, Obiozor got the services of media handlers as a face-saving device, who expectedly moved into work with damage control mechanism. Image brushing pop up was mounted to sweep away Ohaegbulam’s version of the mess rocking ITC. That moment offered Obiozor opportunities to remember Ohaegbulam was accused to have engaged in dereliction of duty whereby a package by a customer for courier service purposes got missing. Though, circumstances surrounding what happened to the missing item a customer brought for courier service and the case of the sacked Ohaegbulam are stories of another day, but the runmess strangulating growth of the company in relation to the alarm raised by the sacked worker is the focus of this piece.
Established over three decades ago with a mandate to cater for the inter and intra state transportation, especially for residents of the state, ITC had been a household name before mismanagement began to depreciate its fortunes.
And on Sunday, I witnessed part of the ailments bedeviling growth of the transport company which need government attention except Uzodimma’s administration wants ITC to go extinct.
Yours truly took a younger colleague in the whistle blowing art, who visited Imo State, but was leaving Owerri to Abuja on Sunday. It was my first step at their Arugo Park complex on Oweri Onitsha Road which I learnt is the head office or rather major loading bay after the outfit was ejected from the traditional MCC Urrata Road headquarters in Owerri, the heart of the state capital.
The entrance into the ITC complex on Onitsha Road in Owerri bears a better sorry story of a decimated transport company. No attractive facelift to welcome customers other than an unpleasant motor road that would best be tipper and trailer parks as the road is bumpy; a kind of infradig to public owned company servicing the public. I will skip the consequences of the company’s front outlook since I am a strong apostle of those who believe a book shouldn’t be judged by its look. But experience obtained inside the premises reflected on the sad reminders of Ohaegbulam’s outburst. What I saw speaks volumes of unimaginable rot in ITC.
The transport company lacks modern day trappings expected of a transport delivery outfit. ITC, the once famed money-making machine of the state have either turned to cash cow for privileged appointees or avenue to settle kinsmen in government.
A woman travelling to Lagos welcomed us with announcement of the near comatose state of ITC. When we approached the location close to the pay counter, she paced around in annoyance expressing anger that ITC lacks what it takes present day cashless economy to service its customers. Ironically, in a cashless economy where mini shops owners and even street groundnut sellers are cashless economy compliant, ITC wants passengers travelling far distances like from Owerri to Abuja, Lagos and Ibadan to pay cash. There is no POS or transfer services for payments exceeding more than thirty thousand naira . Customers without cash equivalents are left at the mercy of shylock POS operators charging exorbitant amounts for cash withdrawals. Whereas other transport companies accept transfers and use POS in their offices, ITC insists on cash payments at the counter for transport fares more than thirty five thousand naira for trips to Abuja and Lagos/Ibadan. Disturbing is that the amount collected in cash is latter sold to the POS operators around the premises for business. I observed where one of the drivers and a POS operator made the transaction.
The woman we met, very furious and smoking with anger lamented why ITC cannot make available POS to its customers or still accept transfers for payments as practiced in other public transport companies.
The ITC set up is not befitting to customers. It needs urgent rebranding and packaging if the 3R mantra of the Uzodimma administration is to be reckoned with. The environment looks dirty and unkempt for staff and passengers. Very disgusting to behold in modern calculations.
More worrisome is that the ITC operators have no regard for human beings. Passengers are treated with disdain, packed inside vehicles like sardines with loads and items meant for courier movements. Ordinarily, there should be cargo-carrying buses or vans to convey the waybill items for customers than mixing passengers inside a vehicle with all manners of loads.
After surviving the task of paying for POS charges to get cash for transport fare, an unpleasant incident occured during loading of the passengers signifying zero regard for customers comfort. The action of those incharge of loading expressed insensitiveness of the ITC management to sanity and respect for passengers. My colleague bargained and paid for a Sienna seven- seater vehicle but a 15-seater bus, tagged “executive” was provided for the Owerri to Abuja trip. By the time the passengers loads had been packed inside the vehicle, for them to board, some staff came out with loads believed to be waybills that were two times above that of the passengers in the name of courier. Very disturbing was a more than 100 inches television set packaged with wood. The five meters long wood packed TV giant TV set was meant for the available gangway for the passengers inside the Owerri to Abuja bus. The sight of the item sparked a row between the operators and passengers who rejected to be ferried inside the vehicle with the item. A passenger reminded the operators that the wood guiding the package is preserved by a chemical oozing with offensive odour making it poisonous to move human beings in such hazardous environment. Despite the rejection and pleas by the passengers for the management to drop the idea of conveying them with the offensive item, one of the operators said to be the Chief Driver of the company insisted the item must be waybill to Abuja inside the vehicle. Other passengers further informed the operators about the danger lamenting that the item would lock them up on their seats like prisoners without any chance to move and alight from the vehicle for convenience and other purposes. Having noticed that the so called Chief Driver was unwilling to let go, one of the passengers demanded for a refund money of his ticket since he is not a “corpse” and wouldn’t be conveyed with such harmful item. The Chief Driver who ignored the welfare of the passengers turned deaf ears to their concerns before all the passengers asked for refund of their money. Apparently aware of the consequences of his actions, the Chief Driver softened and allowed the bus leave without the offensive item on board.
The incident elicited plethora of complaints from some of the staff especially, drivers who while murmuring in different tunes saluted the courage of the passengers for their refusal to allow the Chief Driver have his way. It was lamentations galore from some of them I spoke to before leaving the premises. It was learnt that the GM made made one who hasn’t driven a vehicle in the company the Chief Driver, while some of his political aides dictate what happens against normal operational standards obtained in transport companies.
He was also accused of sacking anyone who challenges his authority or tries to correct on the anomalies going on in the company. Such a victim is replaced by one of the cronies allegedly brought by the GM.
One particular complainant with a disfigured arm he claimed was as a result of the auto crash he had while on official duty was over heard lamenting about the present state of ITC. The staff who has turned a beggar in the premises, recounted how he was abandoned by the ITC management and left to his fate to die after the accident but for co-drivers and family that saw to his survival.
Others interviewed narrated pitiable tales in tandem with Ohaegbulam’s earlier cries of a stinking ITC.
ITC’s case is another sad reminder of how viable agencies with capacity to generate enough internal generated revenue are left in the hands of mediocre political appointees to ruin. Aside from generating revenue, ITC is expected to provide employment opportunities because of the multiple services involved in the transport sector. But in the Imo company, the reverse is the case. Ohaegbulam in the letter to the governor for intervention accused the incumbent GM, Obiozor of sacking over 150 workers including him. The statements from those I met on ground confirmed these allegations. I was reliably informed that within this period in review, number of vehicles in the fleet has reduced drastically and those who were either sacked or resigned from ITC employ have gone to float other flourishing transport outlets drawing drivers and passengers away from the Imo State owned transport agency.
Against new methodologies involved in modern day transport system, ITC is still in archaic state with elementary approaches to service delivery. No techno-driven innovations like online booking and ticketing prevailing in the transport system. Ticketing is still manual and documentation for passengers data very old fashioned without any form of modernism. In the face of insecurity, security consciousness is zero and no checks on passengers and luggage for dangerous weapons or metals on board. I wish the operators of ITC will visit Akwa Ibom Transport Company, AKTC headquarters, at Itam Park area of Uyo, to understand my point. AKTC has gone digital long ago and the premises booming with required tactical finesse, organised staff and managerial skills that attract passengers.
The gradual decline of ITC cannot be divorced from the indifferent approaches of chief executive officers of the state who convert government establishments to proceeds of office. Observations show that state Governors most times appoint either their cronies or kinsmen to head money-spinning establishments instead of qualified persons and personnel those who rose to leadership positions from the ranks. ITC is one of the establishments in Imo State suffering from this malady. In previous administrations, the company suffered too in the hands of incompetent managers because it was ran by political appointees and not professional involved in transportation. The impact of the supervising ministry is not also felt.
Most of those who managed ITC from the past era till date are mainly from the same LGAs/Zones of the governors who ruled the state indicating it has always been for political settlement.
Expect the Governor takes another look at the affairs of the establishment, by the time he comes to the rescue of ITC maybe when it has gone comatose.
Mejuobi, a regular columnist and co- publisher of Trumpeta writes on contemporary issues.
“The gradual decline of ITC cannot be divorced from the indifferent approaches of chief executive officers of the state who convert government establishments to proceeds of office. Observations show that state Governors most times appoint either their cronies or kinsmen to head money-spinning establishments instead of qualified persons and personnel those who rose to leadership positions from the ranks”
