Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has announced the restriction of the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) to its offices.
This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday, where the governor also stated that mini-bus drivers and tricycle riders would be exempted from the purchase of tickets on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
This followed the recent protest by commercial bus drivers in the Calabar metropolis and the concerns raised by residents over the high cost of transport tickets, excessive fines, and alleged harassment by enforcement teams of the Commercial Transport Regulatory Agency (CTRA), the Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency (TRAMRA), and the VIO.
“In a similar vein, the operations of VIO are now restricted to its offices. In the spirit of the governor’s ‘Season of Sweetness,’ mini-bus drivers and tricycle riders are also exempted from the purchase of tickets on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
“These directives take effect from Monday, March 9, 2026, and the general public is urged to cooperate fully with the relevant agencies,” a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Linus Obogo, partly read.
It added that the governor approved the measures to ease the burden on drivers and restore order in the system, following the outcome of the meeting involving the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Special Adviser on General Duties to the governor, and other critical stakeholders in the transport sector.
The government reduced daily tickets for commercial bus operators from ₦850 to ₦500, while the fine for failure to purchase the ticket was reduced to ₦10,000.
“In addition, all traffic-related fines have been cut by 50 per cent and are to be paid only into designated Cross River State Government accounts. Similarly, tickets for tricycle riders have been reduced from ₦1,200 to ₦500, while riders are expected to terminate operations by 6 p.m as night operations are hereby permanently banned.
“Furthermore, CTRA is to focus strictly on the registration of commercial vehicles, the sale of tickets at approved rates, and enforcement of ticket compliance, with all enforcement personnel required to operate in proper uniform and with verifiable identification. TRAMRA is also to confine its operations to its statutory traffic management duties,” it stated.
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