Land Transport Authority chief executive Irimaia Rokosawa has publicly rejected social media claims that driver licences were improperly issued during recent outreach programmes in the Nadi District, saying the allegations are “false, unsubstantiated” and do not reflect how the Authority conducts its field activities.
Rokosawa said posts circulating online accused a senior LTA officer of issuing licences without the required testing, verification or payments. He categorically denied those assertions, telling media that “no licence was issued outside of established legal procedures, nor was any officer authorised to bypass mandatory compliance requirements.” He emphasised that all transactions carried out during outreach events were processed through LTA’s official systems and were subject to the same regulatory requirements, payment procedures, testing standards and verification protocols that apply at any LTA office.
In addition to rejecting the substance of the allegations, Rokosawa said some of the locations named in the social media posts were factually incorrect. He clarified that the Nadi outreach did not take place in Viseisei and that activities referenced for Momi were coordinated through the Sigatoka team — not solely by Nadi operations. Rokosawa set out the official list of outreach sites documented in the approved Nadi programme: Tikina Nawaka at Nawaka Village Hall, Tikina Sikituru at Moala Village Hall, and Tikina o Nadi at Saunaka Village Hall. He added that the Tikina Sabeto outreach is scheduled for this month at Sabeto Village, in line with the approved outreach proposal.
The LTA statement is the latest development after the allegations emerged on social media, prompting concerns among some residents about the integrity of licensing exercises conducted outside permanent LTA offices. Rokosawa’s rebuttal seeks to reassure the public that outreach services — intended to bring licensing and other services closer to remote and rural communities — adhere to the same controls and recordkeeping as centre-based operations.
The dispute underscores broader anxieties about the spread of unverified claims online. Government officials have previously warned that unchecked social media commentary can damage public confidence in institutions. By issuing a detailed clarification, the LTA has attempted both to correct the public record on where outreach events were held and to assert that no procedural shortcuts were taken.
Rokosawa did not say whether the Authority will pursue further action against the social media posts’ author or whether an internal review will be launched. He reiterated the LTA’s commitment to transparency and compliance as the outreach schedule continues through the district.