The FCT Minister, Mr Muhammed Bello, has called on Driving Schools operators in the country to maintain high level of integrity in their operations.
The minister said this was necessary to consolidate the efforts of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to achieve sanity on the roads.
Bello spoke at the 2021 Driving School Standardisation Programme (DSSP) national workshop for proprietors and instructors on Monday, in Abuja.
Represented by the Deputy Director, Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Mr Dele Yaro, the minister said the DSSP was aimed at improving driving school operations in the country.
He said that this could be achieved by developing uniform standards, safety consciousness, professionalism and proficiency in driver education.
Bello said the FRSC had recorded success in monitoring and regulating the driving school industry through driver training.
He said that DSSP had provided a process of obtaining the National Drivers Licence (NDL) which is acceptable globally.
According to him, this has translated into safer motoring environment in Nigeria through reduction of Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) and its attended consequences.
“This is also evident over the years as a result of knowledgeable trained drivers. The driving school operations in Nigeria should maintain high level of integrity and consolidate on the efforts mentioned earlier.
“They should also help to counter the few reports from some members of the public about negative traits exhibited in the driving school industry,’’ he said.
Earlier, the Corps Marshal, FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, identified human incompetence as the leading factors of RTC resulting in injuries and fatalities over the years.
Represented by the Deputy Corp Marshal in charge of training, Mr Shehu Zaki, Oyeyemi said that training drivers at the basic level was germane.
“The introduction of DSSP was to address the aforementioned challenges and to ensure standards and uniformity in driver education and training to sanitise the processes and procedures for issuance of NDL.
“This has made driving schools proprietors and their instructors to play a significant role in training learner drivers to equip them with the requisite knowledge and skills for safe driving on Nigeria roads,’’ he said.
The FRSC Sector Commander in the FCT, Mr Samuel Ochi, said that the training had become imperative to address recklessness and disobedience to traffic regulations.
According to him, whatever we have been doing including this workshop is impacting the drivers on safety.
“We believe that all drivers emanate from these driving institutions. As much as possible, we are addressing the grassroots, where the training of these drivers is being done.
“We believe that drivers coming from these schools will have element of caution as they use the road and that is why the training is important,’’ he said.(NAN)
