Dangote Cement graduates 50 ‘Special’ truck drivers

Dangote Articulated Truck Driving School has graduated 50 Special Truck Drivers at Obajana Plant.

Ten of the drivers were women and trained in Defensive Driving for three months, a statement signed by the spokesman of the Dangote Group, Mr Anthony Chiejina, said.

Speaking at the Graduation Ceremony, Divisional Director of the Dangote Cement Plc, Transport section, Obajana Plant, Kogi State, Mr Ajay Singh said the Articulated Driving School was aimed at taming the tide of auto crashes in Nigeria.

He said the company has a zero tolerance for auto crashes, which informed the setting up of different programmes, in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Head of Human Resources, Mr. Azeez Adeniyi said the Dangote Articulated Truck Driving School, is unique, being the first of its kind in the history of Nigeria.

He urged the graduates to maximise the advantages of the training, adding that it was a rare and golden opportunity to have passed through the school.

The school manager, Mr. Daniel Marcus Akuso, said some of the courses offered for Batch A include: Civic Education, English, Mathematics, Defensive Driving, Truck Handling, Maintenance Technology, DCT Administration Procedures, Root Cause Analysis, Health and Science, Road Signs and Codes.

Mr Akuso said the graduates will now undertake a six-month attachment to enable them to acquire practical experience.

Speaking, Deputy Road Commandant, (OC Instructor) of the FRSC attached to Dangote Driving School, Engr Mukhtar Umar said his agency plays a significant role in the training and certification of old drivers and newly recruited trainees.

“We teach them defensive driving, road signs, responsibilities of the driver, driving culture, and then certify them. These are Special Drivers,” Engr Umar said.

Representative of Fantique Driving Centre, South Africa, Mr Jacques Van Heerden, said the graduates were trained on defensive driving, assuring that if they abide by the lessons learned from the courses, it will help Nigeria in reducing the menace of auto crashes.

On his part, Col Ravig Kumar, Chief General Manager, Maintenance Department, expressed optimism that the female drivers, especially, will make Nigeria proud, while urging them not to disappoint the company, wherever they may find themselves.

Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Mr. Ajayi Kehinde Daniel, said: “We are not just drivers, but defensive drivers. Throughout this period of training, we have been exposed to the causes of road accidents, and how to avoid them. Some of these causes, if not all, are actually avoidable.”

Also present at the Graduation Ceremony was the head of the Department, Post Trip Inspection(PTI), Mr Charles Theophilus, Head of Control, Mr Suresh Ramamoorthy, Col Hemant Rana, as well as other members of the Fantique Training Centre of South Africa: Pieter Momberg and Anton Schenk.

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