…It’s a lie says DESTMA
An aide to the Delta State Governor who refused to disclosed his identity but was simply identified with his office as the Director of Operations of the Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA), invaded and threatened to shut down a leading Radio Station, Trend FM, in Asaba, the Delta State capital for reporting the ‘educated illiterate’ of one of DESTMA’s officials.
It was reliably gathered that the media house was thrown into commotion when the top DESTMA staff otherwise known as “Okowa Police”, stormed the Radio Station vibrating, raining curses and abuses on the news editor, Ijeoma Uba, who did the live show programme.
The traffic incident that culminated in the invasion of the radio home involved a school bus of Banita International School in Asaba which was held up at rush hours of 7:30 am by DESTMA wardens at the very busy Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) junction along Okpanam road.
According to eyewitness report, the school children were disembarked from the school bus by the recalcitrant DESTMA wardens and made to sit on pavement on the road, while the traffic wardens made attempts to force out the bus driver and arrest the bus for unverified traffic violation.
Recounting the incident, the News Editor of Trend FM, Mrs Uba said “I did a live report at about 8:20 at the NTA junction where DESTMA officials had a problem with Banita School Bus. I reported that there was a big traffic jam and I can see pupils of a private school sitting on the road and looking famished as a result of the long stay and possibly the early morning sun”.
“I learnt the driver was having problem with DESTMA officials according to an eyewitness who gave us an account of how it happened. I also took one of the parents of the pupils who were alerted of what happened and she was hysterical”
“Before I signed off, I said we couldn’t speak with DESTNA official because they were not on ground at the time of the report. Ten minutes later, the DESTMA Director of Operation stormed my office causing commotion that even bystanders took photo shots of his action”, the radio editor explained.
Mrs Uba said the DESTMA Operations Director scolded her that, “I shouldn’t have done the report at all without coming to DESTMA as the report embarrassed the traffic authority and state government”.
Aside this show of shame by Okowa’s men, DESTMA officials also run after moving buses, jump into tricycles and barricade the road just to get at their offenders.
Although, Okowa gave DESTMA official training, they act as untrained personnel who never saw the four walls of the school.
Meanwhile, Okowa through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu has disown the DESTMA official.
When contacted Aniagwu said, the DESTMA officer should go and bear his load while the chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Norbert Chiazor said the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, was trying to wade into the DESTMA misconduct, calling on reporters to throw the story into the waste bin.
Meanwhle the Delta State Transport Management Agency (DESTMA) has denied that its Director of Operations, Navy Commander Azubike Idah (rdt) invaded and threatened to shut down the radio station.
Speaking to National Reformer in a telephone conversation, the Public Relation Officer, DESTMA, Mr. Oke Umukoro said the story going round in the social media and other media houses was not true, stressing that the Director of Operation, DESTMA, was only at the Radio Station to protest the way and manner the report was aired without taking both sides into consideration.
He revealed that the agency is now handling the issue from the legal perspective, adding that they have taken the matter to court and have invited all those involved.
According to him, the true story was that the driver of the school bus was driving against traffic at the Mariam Babangida road, Asaba when men of DESTMA accosted him and finally stopped him and asked for his driver’s license which he could not produce, probable because he did not have a driver’s license.
Umukoro said, “When our men stopped the driver, they asked him to bring his driver’s license. He could not produce his driver’s license so our men removed the number plate of the bus and asked him to park the bus. The driver refused to park the bus and he left and came with one lady who asked all the children to come out of the bus and lined them on the road. She even bought food for them to be eating on the road.
“This was what infuriated everybody and calls where flying here and there and the Governor got wind of what was happening. The Delta state Chief Press Secretary had to come to the location of the incident and saw what happened. It was when the children were lined up on the road that the radion woman came and started reporting the story without even asking for the DESTMA side of the story.
“Our Director of Operations, Navy Commander Azubike Idah (rtd) went to the radio Station when he heard the news. He was there to register his displeasure over the way and manner the report was aired. Contrary to reports he did not go there to harass owners of the Radio Station but he went there to let them know that what they reported was not true.
“The report was fully against the staff of our agency. They did not even report our side of the story. They just reported the side of the school and left our side of the story. Professionally, they were supposed to balance their story by reporting both sides of the story.”
