The Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority, (OYRTMA) has begun the 2km endurance race test for the prospective OYRTMA officers that applied for the agency recruitment exercise to test their fitness level and their readiness for the job.
The event was held at the Parade ground of the 81 battalion, Nigerian Army, Mokola, Ibadan.
Speaking with the newsmen, The Executive Chairman Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority, Major Adesagba Adekoya rtd, said that the agency pruned the number of prospective OYRTMA officers that applied for the recruitment from 2,156 that applied to 920 through physical screening and medical screening in order to recruit fitted officers.
He advised those that were screened out due to physical and medical screening to check their health status and try to participate in the next recruitment.
Major Adesagba warned recalcitrant motorists that disobeyed traffic rules to desist or face the wrath of the law through the law enforcement agency.
He stated that “The Exercise we are having here today is one of the screening stage of the stages we have in the recruitment of 338 able body men from Oyo State to join OYRTMA as graciously approved by His Excellency, The Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Oluseyi Makinde in November last year.
“Before now we had done the documentation and Physical screening and medical screening, so all we have here today, is to 2km endurance race to test the fitness of the prospective Traffic officers that are being screened today.”
“We shortlisted 2,156 from the length and breath of the state from Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Ibadan less city and Ibadan main city.”
“From this number, some of them were dropped due to physical screening, some equally dropped as a result of medical screening.”
“We dropped a chunk of them, the number we have today is about 920 from the initial numbers that started the screening exercise.”
“Internationally, the height of a traffic officer, a traffic must be conspicuously seen, most of this people dropped, height dropped them.”
“We even lower the standard to accommodate more candidates, however many did not make the lot of those that moved to the next round.”
“Equally, we test them for Blood Pressure and those that have high Blood pressure, the doctor counsel them and advised them what to do to see their physician.”
“It is dangerous to accommodate someone with high blood pressure, we have high blood pressure with 210, 150 and 160 which is very dangerous to participate in today’s activities because of the high blood pressure.”
“My advice is they should go and check their health for those that have high blood pressure and probably in the next recruitment exercise they will be able to get a place.”
“Those we have now that are going through thus physical exercise are the one that qualified from the previous stages of the certificate screening, the medical screening and the physical screening.”
“Those participated today are over 900 that are here participating in this physical screening today through clinical endurance.”
“Very soon, new Sheriff would be in town, we will be having this people joining us and as such it will enhance activities and we will perform better to be able to ensure a safer roads and it will ensure that traffic rules are obeyed.”
“There will be holistic enforcement and we will have alot of people who will be joining us for technical knowledge, we will have Mechanical Engineering, we will have Articulated drivers, we will have ICT, even Fashion designers among them that are being considered.”
“It will enhance our performance and make us to perform better to ensure that the people of the state actually feel the positive impact of the approval that His Excellency gave us to recruit this number we have that we will considered which eventually will be 338 personnel in total.”
“I will tell the recalcitrant motorists in Oyo state that the time is coming that will reduce the act.”
“Very soon by the time we launch our men, after their training because they are going to undergo two weeks intensive training, by the time we launch them and you will see that we have more men to enforce the law and most of the recalcitrant motorists would be apprehended and they will face the necessary fine.”
“Especially now that we have rule of law enforcement Authority that is accommodating mobile court, eventually we will use the rule of law enforcement authority Mobil court to try would be road traffic offenders, especially most recalcitrant among them.” He said.
The Screening exercise which will undergo two weeks intensive training for the prospective traffic officers.