Traffic Control: Why we intervene - Akwa Ibom Ofon-Ama Initiative

Traffic Intervention Team during parade

BY EMMANUEL AKPAN

The International President of Traffic Intervention Team, a unit of Akwa Ibom Ofon-Ama Initiative, Ukai Udeme Emmanuel has expatiated on why the organization intervened to stop traffic congestion within the city of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.  Ukai Udeme Emmanuel while chatting with THE INK on Wednesday in his office said the Traffic Intervention Team is a free voluntary organization which is aimed at contributing meaningfully to the growth of Akwa Ibom by ensuring the State is traffic congestion free.
Ukai Udeme Emmanuel, who is also the president of Itiam Etoi Youth Council, maintained that the organization is made up of different units to include; Traffic, Education, Sports, Health and Safety. He stressed that the Traffic Intervention Team is way of contributing to the present administration especially now that Akwa Ibom State is fast developing whereby attracting people from outside the State.

According to him “Akwa Ibom State now attracts more people because of the peaceful environment and development witnessed by the immediate past administration. So we normally have traffic congestion within the city of Uyo. We decided to help the police and intervene at some junctions where police traffic warden is not there or sometimes when the traffic light fails. This is our own quota to contribute to the government.”    
Emmanuel further said though the organization was formed to support the second term bid of the then Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio to return to office in 2011, after he was convinced with all the programmes of the former governor which he had believed those programmes would be of good benefit to the people of Akwa Ibom State, urged the general public to see the organization as government friendly.
The International President noted that the Traffic Intervention Team is not coming to fight or struggle with police wardens of their duties, but their primary responsibility is to help police conduct traffic at major junctions especially during early hours of morning and down in the evening when the police might have close from duty.
He hinted that after the 2011 general elections, the group had to key into the vision of the Ministry of Environment to keep the city of Uyo clean by conducting a sanitization campaigns advising the general public to ensure their immediate surroundings are kept tidy and clean.
Ambassador Udeme Emmanuel noted that the organization had voluntary embarked on sharing writing materials to public schools in the State which he said was in line with the free, qualitative and compulsory of the former administration.
He said the group was founded four years ago and that the organization is set to mark her fourth anniversary on September this year.  He however disclosed that the group played a vital role in the emergence of Deacon Udom Emmanuel as the Governor Akwa Ibom State in the last general elections.
He described Governor Udom Emmanuel as a God-sent who will create job opportunities to the unemployed youths as well as industrialized the State which according to him will attract investors to the State. “I am happy with Governor Udom Emmanuel for his steps to industrialize the State. Recently, he has sent over 100 Akwa Ibom youths to Israel for skill acquisitions. That has justified why we supported Udom Emmanuel as governor and he has proved to us that he can take us to another level.”   Akwa Ibom Ofon-Ama Initiative cut across all the 31 Local Government Areas of the State with over 4.000 membership strength as well as other States in Nigeria.