By Osaretin Ekiadolor
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC has over the last 25 years of its creation sustained road safety consciousness among Nigerian road users.
The President also directed the FRSC to produce an action plan that would address the unfriendly road usage by tanker drivers who block parts of the highways as they park on interstate roads causing constituting danger to other road users.
Jonathan who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Ayim Pius Ayim said this on Monday at the 25th Anniversary of the Federal Road Safety Corps, with the theme: “Road Safety in Africa – the Next 25 years.”
President Jonathan’s assertion was reiterated by former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who added that the FRSC was a child of necessity created to tackle the alarming rate of road accident in the country at the time of its creation.
Babangida said the Nigeria at that time was rated the second highest nation with road accident related death globally after India, the situation he noted was unacceptable to any responsible government and called for the initiation of an urgent national response birthing the FRSC.
Babangida who spoke through a representative, Col. Habib Shuaibu said that the sanctity of human life informed the creation of the corps as against the misguided views expressed in the media insinuating that the corps was created for political reason.
He said the successes of the FRSC should rekindle in the country a sense of patriotism and can do attitude for further advancement in all facet of the nation.
Earlier in his remarks, Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Osita Chidoka said the FRSC is one of Nigeria best investment in the country and has grown to become a role model in Africa attracting Sierra-leon, Mali and Tanzania government seeking the assistance of the corps to replicate the safety message in their respective countries.
Already five officials of the FRSC are set to leave Nigeria for Sierra-leon and Mali for technical support in the development of their road safety institution.
He noted that the challenge facing road safety is the issue of speed limit observance by the drivers especially the elite drivers who are always in a hurry to beat traffic.
