Sallah: FRSC warns motorists against dangerous driving, overloading

• Assures crash-free celebration

THE Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, has assured Nigerians, especially Muslim faithful of safe Sallah celebration, saying that adequate logistics provisions have been made to ensure removal of obstructions and crash-free celebration.

Oyeyemi has equally cautioned motorists against dangerous driving, overloading and speed limit violation, he observed were the major cause of road traffic crashes in the country.

In his special Sallah message conveyed by the FRSC Head, Media Relations and Strategy, Mr Bisi Kazeem, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, the Corps Marshal felicitated with the Muslim Ummah on this year’s Eid-Kabir celebration and enjoined them to be safety conscious throughout the period of the festivity.

He stressed the significance of the Sallah celebration, noting that it is centred around devotion and obedience to the will of Allah, which Prophet Ibrahim exemplified by his willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail.

According to him, there were great lessons for mankind to learn from the obedience shown to God by Prophet Ibrahim even in the present life. “Eid-El Kabir celebration teaches us how to show obedience to God in all that we do as human beings,” he stated.

Oyeyemi said: “As the Muslim Ummah observe the feast, let everyone celebrate with the spirit of obedience to God and recognise the sanctity of human lives by obeying all traffic rules and regulations and avoiding acts capable of undermining safety of other road users.

“People should, therefore, avoid overloading, speed limit violation, dangerous driving  and phoning/texting while driving and also avoid the use of worn-out/expired tyres.

“As a build up towards October 1 commencement of nationwide enforcement, he also urged commercial vehicles operators to install speed limiting device, because it is only the living that can celebrate,” he further stated.

The Corps Marshal further called on Nigerians to assist the FRSC and other security agencies deployed to manage the traffic, by conducting themselves in safe and orderly manner, pointing out that FRSC patrol and rescue teams have been put on alert to assist road travellers, while the help areas/roadside clinics across the country would remain open to attend to emergencies.

Oyeyemi called on members of the public to “immediately notify FRSC of any emergency situations through its emergency line: 0700-CALL-FRSC (0700-22553772) or Toll-free line: 122 for prompt response.

“The Corps Marshal wishes all Nigerians happy motoring and safe Eid-El kabir celebration,” the statement said.