BREAKING NEWS, Politics
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BUKOLA Saraki, Senate president, has charged staff of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, to embark on aggressive enforcement of traffic laws, saying doing so would ensure compliance of the people and serve as disincentive to traffic violations. Saraki made the call while receiving Boboye Oyeyemi, corps marshal of the FRSC, who was on advocacy visit to the National Assembly.
In a press release by Bisi Kazeem, head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, the Senate president who was accompanied by some principal officers of the Senate, commended the FRSC for initiating the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy document which would guide the nation in its campaigns against road carnage. He expressed the readiness of the National Assembly to support the Corps in making laws that could strengthen its operations to carry out its statutory functions diligently on the highways.
“The Nigeria Road Safety Strategy document is central to the success of the campaigns for ensuring safer road environments in the country. We are happy that the nation has gotten its own; and I want to assure you that we would continue to render necessary legislative support to enhance diligent implementation of the provisions of the document,” Saraki said.
According to him, the National Assembly is ever ready to make laws that could assist in strengthening the powers of the FRSC to carry out its functions and improving its logistics through adequate funding. He advised that all hands should be on the deck to ensure that whatever logistics that are available are optimally utilised to keep the roads safe for users.
The Senate president identified the use of seatbelt and obedience to traffic signs as strategic areas that the Corps should lay emphasis upon in its operations, saying ensuring safety of road users was a concern to all members of the National Assembly.
Earlier in his presentation titled:”Securing Legislative Support to improve Road Safety in Nigeria,” Oyeyemi analysed the functions of the FRSC and the proactive strategies the agency had put in place to address road safety challenges in the country. These he said, included the annual setting of road safety strategic goals aimed at achieving tangible results on the highways. He, however, observed that despite the efforts, there were certain infrastructural and legislative gaps that would be necessary for effective reforms on road safety.
The corps marshal frowned at the practice of using logs of wood, boulders and other encroachments on the highways, appealing to the Senate for legislative support to address the menace. He identified the defacing of road safety signs and dilapidation of roads as part of the challenges facing the FRSC. The corps marshal further appealed to the National Assembly to assist in proper funding of the FRSC and providing the corps with heavy duty trucks for prompt removal of obstructions as well as provision of advanced life support ambulances for increased efficiency in rescue operations.
Oyeyemi was accompanied on the visit by some principal officers of the FRSC National Headquarters including Ojeme Ewrudjakpor, deputy corps marshal in charge of Operations and, Wole Adeniran, corps legal adviser, among others.
— Nov 21, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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