Stakeholders Converge On Abuja For Reduction In Road Crashes

Stakeholders in the Transport Sector have been urged to give maximum cooperation to the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC in making the nation’s roads safe for socio economic eactivities .

The Retired Deputy Corps Marshal, Mr Bisi Kazeem, who made the call at the Eighth Annual Lecture Series of the FRSC, said the collaboration becomes necessary as safety on the road is a shared responsibility.

Mr Bisi Kazeem who served as the Corps Public Education Officer under Three Corps Marshals said the FRSC annual lecture series brought together experts within and outside the country to strengthen the laudable initiatives and policies of the current leadership of the Corps Marshal, Mallam Shehu Mohammed towards ensuring safer roads.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s Administration is doing a great work on road rehabilitation and construction across the country to make life easier for ordinary citizens hence the need for stakeholders to complement the effort of FRSC towards the realization of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the Transport Sector.

He commended the FRSC management for the rescucitation of the FRSC annual lectures series, which he believes would go a long way in the realization of the United Nations’ 50 percent reduction in road safety by the year 2030.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State on Road Safety Matters Dr Yusuf John- Suberu said this year’s lecture series has opened the eyes of States Traffic management Agencies to new strategies to combat the scourge of road accidents.

Dr Yusuf John-Suberu said he has commenced regular engagements with stakeholders in the Transport Sector on effective traffic administration in Kogi State.

Dr Yusuf John-Suberu also commended the FRSC Boss for his achievements in the last Fifteen months, saying the introduction of technology into the road safety operations makes Nigeria a leader in road safety in the entire African continent.

• Speaking on the topic, ‘Road Safety Management and Emerging Transportation Trends: Global Partnership for Optimal Performance’, the Executive Director of the London- based, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Foundation, Mr Saul Billingsley, acknowledged the influence of FRSC’s leadership, noting that “it is very well appreciated and recognized across the world.”

He emphasized that the FRSC now serves as a key player in the global road safety community.

Also, anchor of the panel session and former Corp Marshal, Chief Osita Chidoka, said the current challenge of road safety is channelling the global framework into a Nigerian reality, especially in a country where motor-cycle accounts for almost half of all road fatalities with well rapid organizations shaping travel patterns.

According to him, the discussants brought voices from security, justice, technology, law, and the academia, with a critical role to play in the system to make Nigerian roads safer, smarter, and secured.

Other discussants drawn from the office of the Chief of Defence Staff, Court of Appeal, Nigerian Bar Association, University of Abuja, and Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, committed to participating in a shared responsibility for effective road safety management in Nigeria.

The event also had in attendance the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Transportation, Senator Sa’id Ahmed Alkali; Chairman, Governing Board, Federal Mortgage Bank, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna; Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli; President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN; President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, represented by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, and Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Matthew Adamu, among others.

Kayode Oyedare, Edited By Grace Namiji