FRSC reiterates commitment to safety on Nigerian roads

THE Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, has restated the commitment of the corps towards ensuring safety on the Nigerian highways.

Oyeyemi, spoke against the backdrop of revelation by the Vice President of International Road Federation (IRF), Mr Mile Dreznes, that at least road traffic crashes kill about 3,500 people every day across the globe with Nigeria contributing about 100 of those deaths.

He spoke at the opening ceremony of a three-day workshop organised by the Nigerian Institution of Highway Transportation Engineers (NIHTE) in collaboration with IRF  in Abuja.

Oyeyemi, said the theme of the workshop was key to the work of FRSC, pledging to meet the demands of ensuring a safe road, adding that there were ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to improve on the condition of Nigerian roads.

Represented by Peter Osawe, the Corps Marshal said there was also  a Federal Road Fund bill in the national assembly and “we believe when approved it will provide the much needed five star roads”.

Dreznes, who described the situation as frightening said the theme of the workshop “Safer Roads by Design’’ was important to ensuring safety on the  roads.

He said: “1.3 million people die annually with 3,500 people a day on road crashes around the world. This is frightening and a serious problem because that is equivalent to seven plane crashes in a day”.

He also disclosed that about 50 million people sustained various degrees of injuries each year around the world with 40 per cent of them pedestrians and 50 per cent vulnerable road users who were not driving but victims of circumstance.

The IRF chief noted that the panacea for road crashes on the nation’s highways was to “construct and design of five star roads, train five star drivers, five star pedestrians and using of five star cars”.

Earlier, Mr Obiekwe Anaduaka, National Chairman, Nigeria Highway Transportation Engineers (NIHTE), said the workshop was timely as the issue of safety on roads was paramount in the country.

Anaduaka explained that ensuring safer roads, there was the need for critical consideration of the design which was the foundation of road construction, urging stakeholders to go back to the basics.

Awards of excellence were presented to some participants for their efforts in improving safety on Nigerian roads.

The award recipients were Mr Otis Anyaeji, President Nigeria Society of Engineers, Professor Danladi Matawal, Director General Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NIBRRI), Senator Kabiru Gaya, Chairman Senate Committee on Works amongst others.