Road Transport boss says up to the task

The Acting Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority, Sarrah Bendu, says although she inherited a lot of problems when she was appointed by President Ernest Koroma in November last year, she is up to the task of managing the affairs President Ernest Koroma appointed her to perform.
Bendu told Awoko that she had been ensuring that vehicle licenses were given on time, although she admitted it had sometimes proved difficult.
“I have also tried to ensure the operational area becomes functional… [and] we have had a series of workshops for staff.” As a way of pursuing the president’s attitudinal change campaign, she has chosen as the theme for their annual orientation programme “Reengineering RTA for better performance.”
Bendu said she had been holding regular consultations with her staff with a view to assessing their progress and finding ways of addressing challenges. “There are a lot of problems but I am up to the task” she assures.
On whether she was surprised to have been appointed as the acting head of the corporation, Bendu responded in the negative, saying she was mindful of the hard work she had been putting into her work as Deputy Executive Director.
She said she had worked hard as Deputy Director in a male-dominated corporation. “I have been trying to maintain my focus and nothing would stop me from attaining that focus,” she assured, adding her aim is to succeed.
On the issue of the Traffic Wardens, Bendu said the work of the white-shirted traffic controllers was a revenue generation entreprise but a way of helping to decongest the traffic and ensure drivers move in accordance with the law, which is why they issue tickets.
She added that the cost of running the wardens was enormous because it was not just to pay them but there were other multiplying facts. She said she was currently doing a vehicle population census which she said had never been done, adding that statistics produced over the years only showed the number of vehicles registered, which does not constitute the actual vehicle population.
By John Baimba Sesay