GANTA, Nimba – The Ministry of Transport has started inspecting the registration documents of vehicles operating in Nimba, including cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

The exercise, which began on October 22, is being supported by the Liberia National Police and the local motorcyclist union. It is expected to last for 14 days and during that time, inspectors will be looking for vehicles that are not registered or carrying outdated license plates.

Jasper N. White, the assistant minister for the Inspectorate Division at the Ministry of Transport, is heading the inspection team in Nimba. He told reporters that the exercise is being conducted “simultaneously at four strategic points” including along the Ganta-Saclepea highway, at the Ganta Police Station, at the Ganta-Guinea border, and along the Ganta-Monrovia highway.

Usually, such inspections are relegated to Montserrado and rarely include motorcyclists, but the assistant minister said the move to inspect in Nimba comes as the ministry had been decentralizing its services.

“We intended to decentralize all those basic services that the government has to offer you so that even if you are residing in the rural areas, you will not have to travel all the way to Monrovia to access these services,” White said.

He said the ministry would work to ensure that all vehicles operating across the country are registered and insured. He called on owners of vehicles to make use of the opportunity and register their vehicles.

Motorcyclists are required to pay US$25 to have their motorcycles registered and issued a license plate, lower than the previous cost of US$50. White said that decision was made following a meeting in Monrovia with the motorcyclist union and representatives of Pres. George Weah. During the meeting, the motorcyclists appealed for the cost to be reduced.

However, the registration process at the Liberia Revenue Authority’s local office in Ganta has not been smooth and some motorcyclists have expressed disappointment in the slow process.

“Some of us have our susu to pay every day, but when you go there with your money to do your registration, you have to stand [the] whole day—the process is very slow,” said Anthony Suah, who went to register his motorcycle.

Suah said more workers should be deployed at the site to ensure that registration can occur quickly.

Featured photo by Lincoln P. Nyakpoar/Voice of Ganta