The Nation Newspaper

Category: Transportation

  • No respite yet on nation’s ‘death trap’ roads

    The Ministry of Works and Housing has said the ongoing construction of many federal roads may suffer neglect if not adequately funded. ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE writes on the fresh threats by the Minister Babatunde Fashola

    Good and motorable federal roads are becoming a rarity in this parts, no thanks to paucity of funds that continued to dog such dreams.

    Achieving safe and motorable roads in the country, the bane of successive administration in the last three decades, has again reared its head and may put a cog in the wheel of the Buhari administration to bequeathe a motorable road across the country unless the National Assembly intervene and approve more funds for the works department.

    Hinting of this grave reality, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, at his appearance before the House Committee on Works at the National Assembly urged the lawmakers to make more money available to the Ministry.

    According to him, the N157 billion allocated to the Works Ministry in the 2020 budget, cannot give the nation any respite from death traps called roads.

    According to him, the allocation is not enough to pay contractors for jobs already delivered. On the minimum, the Works Department, he said, needs N255 billion to fund new construction across the country, while N306 billion will be required to pay contractors for jobs.

    Fashola also disclosed that N2.93 billion was pending in unpaid certificates under multilateral-funded projects.

    The Federal Government is undertaking the reconstruction of 524 roads across the six geo-political zones in the country. Checks revealed that though some of the roads, like the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, were inherited by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, it has continued to take on new road assignments in its determination to open the country to even development.

    Fashola said all roads being handled by the government would help open up the economy. He said the focus was to make ease of doing business in the country less cumbersome.

    Besides the 524 federal roads, four others are multilateral-funded road projects, while 81 roads are being embarked upon under the Presidential Infrastructural Development Fund (PIDF) and 45 others funded by the Sukuk bond.

    Among other projects under the PIDF are Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, the Second Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan Express Road, the Mambilla Hydro project and the East-West Road.

    He, therefore, appealed to the lawmakers to make more money available to the ministry to ensure that none of the projects are stalled for lack of funds.

    The lean budgetary allocation had also led to the stoppage of repayment to state governments for the repair of federal roads. Fashola said any government which embarked on such should not revert to it for payment as none would be paid. He advised the states to concentrate on state-funded roads.

    He said: “When we came in, we inherited quite a number of such debts from states which repaired Federal roads and asked for refunds and the President directed that we pay all those that were approved by the previous government.”

    Nigeria has 194,000 kilometres of road network and their neglect over the years, is posing grace danger to motorists, as bad roads has emerged as the major causes of deaths in the country.

    More than 5000 deaths occur on Nigeria roads nationwide, a fact the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) high command would squarely lay on the doorstep of recklessness of drivers, than they would admit are caused by the deplorable roads.

    Over speeding, recklessness and vehicle defects ranked very high in the causative factors of fatalities on the roads, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi would readily admit.

    But the government admits that the roads are crumbling faster than they can be fixed. The worse stage roads are in, the quicker cars and trucks deteriorate, rocketing, the cost of repairs and maintenance. For many the experience remains that the cost of fixing the cars are getting scarily higher than the cost of fueling it.

    Checks showed that virtually all federal roads in the five southeastern states are in total ruin, making traveling an ordeal.

    The swansong is similar in the Northeast and the remaining four geo-political zones are not left out. Sometimes in 2017, Fashola had said Nigeria may require about N7 trillion to fix all its road networks.

    Among other roads being handled by the Federal Government in the Southeast are the rehabilitation of Sections 1 to 4 of the Enugu -Port Harcourt Expressway (Sukuk Bond; ongoing), rehabilitation of Amansea–Enugu Border section of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway (Sukuk Bond; ongoing), rehabilitation of 18km stretch of Onitsha–Awka Road (ongoing), construction of the Second Niger Bridge, rehabilitation of Arochukwu-Ohafia-Bende Road (ongoing). The Ikot Ekpene – Alaoji – Ugwuaji switching station has been completed.

    Also ongoing is the emergency intervention on 63 roads which cut across the six geopolitical zones — Northeast, Northwest, Northcentral, Southwest, Southeast and Southsouth. In the Northeast, the construction of  Billiri Filiya in Taraba-Gombe Road through Potiskum-Agalda-Gombe State Border/bridge at Km 32, and Potiskum-Kari-Bauchi S/B Road in Yobe State are ongoing.

    Also, undergoing rehabilitation are Tella Road and Bridge, Abutment and Apawa-Junction-Zing-Adamawa (State Border) in Taraba State. Bauch-Darazo-Kari Road in Bauchi State. Numan-Lafia-Gombe State Border Road, Numan-Jalingo Road.  Numan-Guyuk (Borno State Border. Ngurore-Mayobelwa Road in Adamawa State, all in the North East.

    In the Northwest: Birnin Gwari Road in Kaduna, Kebbi-Argungu-Sokoto (State Border) Road in Kebbi State, Gusau-Chafe-Katsina Road in Zamfara, Rimawa-Sabonbirnin-Niger Republic Road (Section 1), Rimawa-Sabon-birnin-Niger Republic Road (Section 2) and bridge embankment in Sokoto State, Gumel-Mallam Madori-Hadeija Road, Birnin Kudu and Babaldu-Malumuwa-Bauchi S/B Road, among others in Jigawa,Yayasa Bridge in Kano and Dusinma-Kankara Road in Katsina State. North-central: Makurdi-Lafia Road and Makurdi-Gboko Road in Benue, Okene-Kabba Road and Kabba-Omuo Road in Kogi, Ajase-Offa-Erinle-Osun State Boundary Road in Kwara, Keffi Abuja Road and Keffi-Gittata-Kaduna S/b Road, Nassarawa-Toto-Abaji Road in Nassarawa and Jebba-Mokwa Road, Bida-Lapal-Lambata Road and Makera-Tegina Road in Niger State are listed for repairs. Southwest Ibillo-Isu-Epinmi-Akungba Road and Owo-Akure Road in Ondo, Ilesa-Ijebu-Ijesa Road, Ijebu-Ijesa-Ekiti S/B and Ibadan-Ile-Ife-Ilesa Road, Osun S/B-Ilesa in Osun, Ibadan-Ile-Ife-Ilesa Road in Oyo, Ijebu-Ode-Epe-Ibadan Road in Ogun and Ikorodu-Shagamu in Lagos. Southeast: Abakaliki-Oferekpe Road in Ebonyi, Nsukka-Adani-Anambra S/B Road in Enugu State, Umuokpor section of Ikot Ekpene-Aba Road in Abia and Ihiala-Orlu-Umuduru Road, Owerri-Okigwe, among others. Southsouth Ikot Ekpene-Ikot Umoessien-Abia S/B Road in Akwa Ibom, Ebiama-Yenegoa Road in Bayelsa, Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo-Ose Bridge Road and Benin-Ofosu-Shagamu Road in Edo, Ebouchichie-Gakem Road in Cross River, Benin-Asaba Dual Carriageway, Asaba-Illa-Ebu-Edo S/B Road, Igbodo, Benin-Asaba Expressway and Warrri-Sapele-Edo S/b Road in Delta State, among others. Over 45 bridges, according to the list, are slated for rehabilitation over the next three years. They include: 1. Two bridges along Sokoto-Gusau Road 2. Murtala Mohammed Bridge, Koton Karfe 3. River Ebba to Cheche Bridge. Jebba Bridge 5. 3rd Mainland Bridge. Nine Lagos Bridges and flyovers 7. Lagos Ring Road Bridge Abutment 8. Ijora 7-Up Bridge 9. Ijora-Apapa Bridge by Leventis 10. Burnt Marine Bridge.

    They also include: 11. Utor Bridge 12. Niger Bridge at Onitsha/Asaba 13. Onitsha-Owerri Bridge 14. Ibagwa Bridge, Ikom Bridge 15. Itigidi, Makurdi Bridge 16. Quata Sule Bridge 17. Katsina Ala Bridge 18. Buruku Bridge 19. Abuja-Abaji Bridge Section 11 20.

    Loko Owotu Bridge 21. Ibi Bridge 22. Kudzum Bridge 23. Gombe-Michika-Maraba Bridge 24. Gamboru Bridge 25. Katanko Bridge 26. Jaji Bridge 27. Borno/Adamawa State Border Bridge 28. Falani Bridge, Sumaila 29. Flyover Bridge at Silver Jubilee 30 Tambuwal Bridge.

    In a paper by the research department of the Central Bank of Nigeria on Highways maintenance: Lessons from other countries, the CBN contends that the experience in developing world shows that adequate resources for highway maintenance cannot be sourced from the treasury alone.

    The rules and regulations of the public administrative system do not allow for an effective and efficient management of road maintenance. Most countries have, therefore, resorted to the creation of autonomous authorities, which are given the responsibility for road maintenance. Generally, both the public and private sectors are represented on the boards, with the private sector dominating in many countries.

    In almost all countries, the sources for revenue for road maintenance authority are levy on gasoline, toll gate fees, licence fees on motor vehicles, international transit fees, fees on over loaded vehicles and allocations by parliament.

    It advocated for the creation of the Nigerian Road Maintenance Agency to source funding for the agency from grants, governments, organised private sector and international donors, – Toll gate collections; – Fees or services rendered by the Agency and monies accruing from road concession. These are also sources of funding in the other countries reviewed, with the exception of taxes on petroleum products in respect of the NRMA.

    The grants from the Federal Government could be equated with the releases for road maintenance which totaled N470.9 million, N401.2 million, N474.5 million and N178.7 million in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Toll gate collections, which exceeded the releases in all the years constituted the major source of funding. The other sources indicated above have not been explored. Aggregate toll gate collections were N569.29 million in 2000, N742.72 million in 2001 and N779.84 million in 2002. The collection, therefore, rose by 30.5 per cent in 2000 and by only five per cent in 2001.

  • Youths block Suleja-Minna-Bida highway over deplorable roads

    By Agency Reporter

    Youths under the auspices of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) on Monday blocked the Suleja-Minna highway to protest the deplorable state of roads in Niger state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the angry youths also blocked the Bida-Minna road as motorists were forced to look for alternative routes into and out of the state.

    The youths, who carried placards with various inscriptions, vowed to continue their protest until their demands are met.

    According to one of the coordinators of the protest, Mohammad Etsu, “we will not stop this protest for good roads until the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola address them.”

    Read Also: Inland waterways can ease pressure on Nigerian roads, says Moghalu

    NAN reports that the Police and other security operatives fired teargas to disperse the youths but they remained adamant.

    NAN reports that heavy traffic has piled up along the College of Education and the IBB Specialist Hospital while articulated vehicles drivers parked indiscriminately.

    A commuter, Alhaji Bashir Mohammad, told NAN that he parked his car at the specialist hospital and took a motorcycle to office close to Government House. (NAN)

  • Five ways to avoid contributing to traffic congestion

    By Oloko Omobolanle

    Lagos has been on a lock down lately owing to traffic congestion. Most often than not, it is due to drivers not knowing how to ride well. Being a safe driver can help speed up the flow of traffic but you can also take alternative transportation, such as buses or bikes.

    You can even plan your route and trips strategically to reduce the time you are on the road, helping to relieve the burden on other drivers.

    Here are five ways to avoid contributing traffic in Lagos and other mega cities in Nigeria.

    * Maintain gap between cars: Every time you tap your brakes, the cars behind you will do the same. This can cause a ripple effect for miles down the road. Try to keep a gap between you and the car ahead of you. If another car slows down or tries to merge, you should have enough room to slow down without braking suddenly.

    * Stay at a consistent speed: Try to stay at the speed limit, or go at the speed of traffic. If you need to slow down, take your foot off the gas and do not brake unless you need to. In many cases, if you keep a gap between cars, you may be able to slow down without braking. Cruise control can help you maintain a steady speed on the highway.

    Read Also: Lagos traffic radio: Blazing the trail in public communication

    * Avoid changing lanes too often: The more you change lanes, the more other cars may have to slow down to accommodate you. While you may sometimes need to move over, try changing lanes only when necessary.

    * Pay attention to the road conditions: Stay alert by scanning ahead as far as you can. Remain aware of what is happening around you. Watch for road hazards, accidents, bottlenecks, or other problems along the road.

    Many highways have signs that will alert you of delays or traffic jams. You can either prepare to slow down or find an alternate route.

    *Avoid taking your eyes off the road: Do not text, read the news, check your social media page, or take your eyes off of traffic, even if traffic has stopped dead. Always watch what is happening in front of you.

    You never know when traffic will start moving again. If you are on the side of a busy highway, you should remain in your car. If you must exit, exit on the passenger’s side to avoid getting hit by a car.

  • Redeeming the nation’s highways

    Will the ongoing construction in all zones of the country sail through with the funds made available to the Works Department of the Ministry of Works and Housing in the 2020 budget? ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE writes that a fresh threat of stoppage of road projects is real except more money is allocated for roads in the budget

    Achieving safe and motorable roads in the country may continue to be a mirage if the National Assembly does not intervene soon to prevent such eventuality.

    The Minister for Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, flew the flag last week, when he appeared before the House Committee on Works at the National Assembly. He said the N157 billion allocated to the Works component of the ministry in the 2020 budget cannot give the nation any respite from death traps called roads.

    According to him, the allocation is not enough to pay contractors for jobs already delivered. On the minimum, the Works Department, he said, needs N255 billion to fund new construction across the country, while N306 billion will be required to pay contractors for jobs.

    Fashola also disclosed that N2.93 billion was pending in unpaid certificates under multilateral-funded projects.

    The Federal Government is undertaking the reconstruction of 524 roads across the six geo-political zones in the country. Checks revealed that though some of the roads, like the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, were inherited by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, it has continued to take on new road assignments in its determination to open the country to even development.

    Fashola said all roads being handled by the government would help open up the economy. He said the focus was to make ease of doing business in the country less cumbersome.

    Besides the 524 federal roads, four others are multilateral-funded road projects, while 81 roads are being embarked upon under the Presidential Infrastructural Development Fund (PIDF) and 45 others funded by the Sukuk bond.

    Among other projects under the PIDF are Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, the Second Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan Express Road, the Mambilla Hydro project and the East-West Road.

    He, therefore, appealed to the lawmakers to make more money available to the ministry to ensure that none of the projects are stalled for lack of funds.

    The lean budgetary allocation had also led to the stoppage of repayment to state governments for the repair of federal roads. Fashola said any government which embarked on such should not revert to it for payment as none would be paid. He advised the states to concentrate on state-funded roads.

    He said: “When we came in, we inherited quite a number of such debts from states which repaired Federal roads and asked for refunds and the President directed that we pay all those that were approved by the previous government.”

    Nigeria has 194,000 kilometres of road network and their neglect over the years, is posing grace danger to motorists, as bad roads has emerged as the major causes of deaths in the country.

    More than 5000 deaths occur on Nigeria roads nationwide, a fact the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) high command would squarely lay on the doorstep of recklessness of drivers, than they would admit are caused by the deplorable roads.

    Over speeding, recklessness and vehicle defects ranked very high in the causative factors of fatalities on the roads, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi would readily admit.

    But the government admits that the roads are crumbling faster than they can be fixed. The worse stage roads are in, the quicker cars and trucks deteriorate, rocketing, the cost of repairs and maintenance. For many the experience remains that the cost of fixing the cars are getting scarily higher than the cost of fueling it.

    Checks showed that virtually all federal roads in the five southeastern states are in total ruin, making traveling an ordeal.

    The swansong is similar in the Northeast and the remaining four geo-political zones are not left out. Sometimes in 2017, Fashola had said Nigeria may require about N7 trillion to fix all its road networks.

    Among other roads being handled by the Federal Government in the Southeast are the rehabilitation of Sections 1 to 4 of the Enugu -Port Harcourt Expressway (Sukuk Bond; ongoing), rehabilitation of Amansea–Enugu Border section of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway (Sukuk Bond; ongoing), rehabilitation of 18km stretch of Onitsha–Awka Road (ongoing), construction of the Second Niger Bridge, rehabilitation of Arochukwu-Ohafia-Bende Road (ongoing). The Ikot Ekpene – Alaoji – Ugwuaji switching station has been completed.

    Also ongoing is the emergency intervention on 63 roads which cut across the six geopolitical zones — Northeast, Northwest, Northcentral, Southwest, Southeast and Southsouth. In the Northeast, the construction of  Billiri Filiya in Taraba-Gombe Road through Potiskum-Agalda-Gombe State Border/bridge at Km 32, and Potiskum-Kari-Bauchi S/B Road in Yobe State are ongoing.

    Also, undergoing rehabilitation are Tella Road and Bridge, Abutment and Apawa-Junction-Zing-Adamawa (State Border) in Taraba State. Bauch-Darazo-Kari Road in Bauchi State. Numan-Lafia-Gombe State Border Road, Numan-Jalingo Road.  Numan-Guyuk (Borno State Border. Ngurore-Mayobelwa Road in Adamawa State, all in the North East.

    In the Northwest: Birnin Gwari Road in Kaduna, Kebbi-Argungu-Sokoto (State Border) Road in Kebbi State, Gusau-Chafe-Katsina Road in Zamfara, Rimawa-Sabonbirnin-Niger Republic Road (Section 1), Rimawa-Sabon-birnin-Niger Republic Road (Section 2) and bridge embankment in Sokoto State, Gumel-Mallam Madori-Hadeija Road, Birnin Kudu and Babaldu-Malumuwa-Bauchi S/B Road, among others in Jigawa,Yayasa Bridge in Kano and Dusinma-Kankara Road in Katsina State. North-central: Makurdi-Lafia Road and Makurdi-Gboko Road in Benue, Okene-Kabba Road and Kabba-Omuo Road in Kogi, Ajase-Offa-Erinle-Osun State Boundary Road in Kwara, Keffi Abuja Road and Keffi-Gittata-Kaduna S/b Road, Nassarawa-Toto-Abaji Road in Nassarawa and Jebba-Mokwa Road, Bida-Lapal-Lambata Road and Makera-Tegina Road in Niger State are listed for repairs. Southwest Ibillo-Isu-Epinmi-Akungba Road and Owo-Akure Road in Ondo, Ilesa-Ijebu-Ijesa Road, Ijebu-Ijesa-Ekiti S/B and Ibadan-Ile-Ife-Ilesa Road, Osun S/B-Ilesa in Osun, Ibadan-Ile-Ife-Ilesa Road in Oyo, Ijebu-Ode-Epe-Ibadan Road in Ogun and Ikorodu-Shagamu in Lagos. Southeast: Abakaliki-Oferekpe Road in Ebonyi, Nsukka-Adani-Anambra S/B Road in Enugu State, Umuokpor section of Ikot Ekpene-Aba Road in Abia and Ihiala-Orlu-Umuduru Road, Owerri-Okigwe, among others. Southsouth Ikot Ekpene-Ikot Umoessien-Abia S/B Road in Akwa Ibom, Ebiama-Yenegoa Road in Bayelsa, Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo-Ose Bridge Road and Benin-Ofosu-Shagamu Road in Edo, Ebouchichie-Gakem Road in Cross River, Benin-Asaba Dual Carriageway, Asaba-Illa-Ebu-Edo S/B Road, Igbodo, Benin-Asaba Expressway and Warrri-Sapele-Edo S/b Road in Delta State, among others. Over 45 bridges, according to the list, are slated for rehabilitation over the next three years. They include: 1. Two bridges along Sokoto-Gusau Road 2. Murtala Mohammed Bridge, Koton Karfe 3. River Ebba to Cheche Bridge. Jebba Bridge 5. 3rd Mainland Bridge. Nine Lagos Bridges and flyovers 7. Lagos Ring Road Bridge Abutment 8. Ijora 7-Up Bridge 9. Ijora-Apapa Bridge by Leventis 10. Burnt Marine Bridge.

    They also include: 11. Utor Bridge 12. Niger Bridge at Onitsha/Asaba 13. Onitsha-Owerri Bridge 14. Ibagwa Bridge, Ikom Bridge 15. Itigidi, Makurdi Bridge 16. Quata Sule Bridge 17. Katsina Ala Bridge 18. Buruku Bridge 19. Abuja-Abaji Bridge Section 11 20.

    Loko Owotu Bridge 21. Ibi Bridge 22. Kudzum Bridge 23. Gombe-Michika-Maraba Bridge 24. Gamboru Bridge 25. Katanko Bridge 26. Jaji Bridge 27. Borno/Adamawa State Border Bridge 28. Falani Bridge, Sumaila 29. Flyover Bridge at Silver Jubilee 30 Tambuwal Bridge.

    In a paper by the research department of the Central Bank of Nigeria on Highways maintenance: Lessons from other countries, the CBN contends that the experience in developing world shows that adequate resources for highway maintenance cannot be sourced from the treasury alone.

    The rules and regulations of the public administrative system do not allow for an effective and efficient management of road maintenance. Most countries have, therefore, resorted to the creation of autonomous authorities, which are given the responsibility for road maintenance. Generally, both the public and private sectors are represented on the boards, with the private sector dominating in many countries.

    In almost all countries, the sources for revenue for road maintenance authority are levy on gasoline, toll gate fees, licence fees on motor vehicles, international transit fees, fees on over loaded vehicles and allocations by parliament.

    It advocated for the creation of the Nigerian Road Maintenance Agency to source funding for the agency from grants, governments, organised private sector and international donors, – Toll gate collections; – Fees or services rendered by the Agency and monies accruing from road concession. These are also sources of funding in the other countries reviewed, with the exception of taxes on petroleum products in respect of the NRMA.

    The grants from the Federal Government could be equated with the releases for road maintenance which totaled N470.9 million, N401.2 million, N474.5 million and N178.7 million in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Toll gate collections, which exceeded the releases in all the years constituted the major source of funding. The other sources indicated above have not been explored. Aggregate toll gate collections were N569.29 million in 2000, N742.72 million in 2001 and N779.84 million in 2002. The collection, therefore, rose by 30.5 per cent in 2000 and by only five per cent in 2001.

  • FRSC craves attitudinal change for truck drivers/ haulage operators

    By Adegunle Olugbamila

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has urged commercial vehicles and haulage operators to partner with the Commission to bring about a new orientation particularly among truck drivers nationwide.

    The Commission said its findings over the years revealed that most road crashes are traceable to bad attitude of drivers.

    Corps Marshal FRSC Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, who spoke through the FRSC Commander, Lagos State Sector Higinus Omege, described haulage business as great business opportunities for operators play the game by the rules.

    Oyeyemi spoke at the 10th anniversary/conference of Haulmace, a haulage and logistics magazine with the theme: Developing a stakeholders approach to driver management and professionalism for safety in cargo transportation for Nigeria.’

    “If we keep on doing the same thing over and over again, we will keep getting the same result,” Boboye began.

    He continued: “There is the need by commercial haulage operators to change our approach even in the management of our drivers.

    “As much as FRSC has continued to encourage private driving school operators, our findings show that none of them has a driving range earmarked for training of truck drivers. Most of the drivers driving trucks on our roads today evolved through apprenticeship method. They need retraining and reorientation.

    “Our statistics also revealed that about 57 per cent of road crashes is as a result of bad attitude. So we strongly believe that through this orientation, we change their attitude towards the use of the roads.

    Read Also: FRSC arrests 1750 as clampdown on tricycles, motorcycles begin nationwide

    “Crashes occur globally, but what makes the difference is the death rate. So what we are aiming is that even if the crash occurs on Nigerian roads, it should not bring about deaths. Therefore, all commercial haulage operators should join hands with us.”

    He added that the Commission is extending a handshake with stakeholders within the haulage circuit, noting that it will also be willing to partner with them in the aspect of training of their truck drivers.

    Boboye lamented that Nigeria road design was primarily for motorists. This dependence on road, he explained, is a major factor towards the chaotic traffic situation particularly the metropolitan roads.

    “Our road design never takes cognizance of pedestrian walkway, tricycle and motocycle tracks. This is the reason why you will see vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles struggling for survival on the same road resulting in traffic chaos, ”he lamented.

    He nonetheless expressed optimism that the proposed National Transport Policy which is currently before the National Executive Council, would streamline some of the hiccups that have bedeviling transportation in Nigeria.

    National President, Association of Maritime Truck Owners Cheif Remi Ogungbe, bemoaned the deplorable state of the nation highways, adding that ‘rickety roads translates to rickety trucks’.

    He appealed to governments to provide terminals for truck to forestall a scenario where truck drivers park their trucks haphazardly.

    “Government must ensure constant maintenance of our roads,” Ogungbe said.

    “For instance, Tin Can Island is supposed to be one of the best roads because of our operation. But If the roads are not good, what can the drivers do?

    “Governments perhaps need to have dedicated lanes for the trucks. Imagine a road that is not supposed to accommodate more than 5000 trucks, but you see more than 200,000 trucks on the same road.

    “There is also need for constant engagement with the drivers. It is not about bringing task force to harass us every time. They need to also check on us regularly, know our pains and challenges. It might interest you that the bottom line of our problem is lack of enough terminals. Thank God that the terminal in Tin Can which was once used as motor park has now been returned to us.”

    He said over the years, the human population and that of vehicles have increased, thereby putting more pressure on the highways. He suggested that government should introduce automation into haulage operation to make the challenges experienced on roads more flexible.

    Earlier Convener of Haulmace Alfred Okugbeni, craved more organised haulage industry from government and stakeholders.

    Going down memory lane, he recalled the magazine, through the annual conference, has over the years succeeded in popularizing the haulage business in addition to bringing about a confluence between the private and public operators, among others.

  • Should FRSC certify drivers?

    If the government’s desire is to reduce carnage on the roads, the argument about who has the mandate to regulate drivers’ licence is needless and avoidable, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    Road safety experts have carpeted as needless, the query of the Federal Roads Safety Commission’s (FRSC’s) power to regulate the training of drivers or the issuance of drivers licence.

    The Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NIIT), Zaria, Olorogun John Onojeharho, in the Punch penultimate Friday, queried the FRSC’s right to issue licences. He alleged that it operates quack driving schools to train drivers.

    But the agency said the FRSC Establishment Act 2007 as amended, gave it the statutory right to train and certify drivers.

    Its spokesman, Bisi Kazeem, debunking the “erroneous insinuation,” said drivers’ certification is part of the FRSC’s responsibility. “Our responsibility is to ensure that drivers, motorists, and motorcyclists are trained on how to operate their vehicles before they apply for the National Drivers Licence,” he said.

    He said FRSC has no driving school but certifies privately-run driving schools to ensure compliance with standards.

    He said FRSC derives its mandate from Section 10 (3)c of the FRSC Establishment Act 2007: “To educate drivers, motorists and members of the public generally on the proper use of the highways.”

    Put in broader perspective, according to Kazeem,”education and training are interchangeable where learning or education is synonymous with training, which means a process by which someone is taught a skill that is needed for an art, profession, or job.”

    According to him, the FRSC, as the agency charged with the safety of lives and property on the roads, has not only been educating fleet operators on the minimum safety standards, it has continued to regulate the establishment and certification of driving schools that are registered to train drivers on the operation of vehicles and the proper use of roads.

     The beginning

    Prior to 1988, the Federal Government had no concrete or sustained policy to address the carnage on  the roads. Earlier attempts to manage carnage on the roads were limited to isolated attempts by some states and institutions.

    One of the earliest pioneers of road safety initiative, according to Wikipedia, was the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) between 1960 and 1965. Following on its heels, was the Nigerian Army’s Annual Road Safety Week which started in 1972.

    The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), established in 1974, was the Federal Military Government’s first real attempt at promoting road safety. It was however short lived. In 1977, the military administration in old Oyo State established the Oyo State Road Safety Corps (OSRSC), which instilled some road discipline and achieved significant improvements in road safety in the state. The Corps was disbanded by the military government in 1983.

    In February 1988, the Federal Government established the Federal Road Safety Commission through Decree No. 45 of the 1988 as amended by Decree 35 of 1992, referred to in the statute books as the FRSC Act cap 141 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), passed by the National Assembly as Federal Road Safety Corps (establishment) Act 2007.

    It has, among other statutory functions, the duty of making the highway safe for motorists and other road users, eliminating or minimising accidents on the highways and advising the federal and state governments, including the Federal Capital Territory Administration and relevant governmental agencies on the localities where such works and devices are required, and educating motorists and members of the public on the importance of discipline on the highway.

    Its other responsibilities are clearing obstructions on any part of the highways, educating drivers, motorists and other members of the public on the proper use of the highways, designing and producing the driver’s licence to be used by various categories of vehicle operators, determining, from time to time, the requirements to be satisfied by an applicant for a driver’s licence and designing and producing vehicle number plates.

    It is also mandated to standardise highway traffic codes, give prompt care and attention to victims of accidents and conduct researches into causes of motor accidents and methods of preventing them and to put into use the result of such research.

    The FRSC is also to determine and enforce speed limits for all categories of roads and vehicles and controlling the use of speed limiting devices, cooperate with bodies or agencies or groups in road safety activities or in prevention of accidents on the highways, making regulations in pursuance of any of the functions assigned to the Corps, regulate the use of sirens, flashers and beacon lights on vehicles other than ambulances and vehicles belonging to the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police, Fire Service and other Paramilitary agencies, providing roadside and mobile clinics for the treatment of accident victims free of charge.

    Other mandates are to regulate the use of mobile phones by motorists, regulating the use of seat belts and other safety devices, regulating the use of motorcycles on the highways, maintaining the validity period for drivers’ licences which shall be three years subject to renewal at the expiration of the validity period.

     Needless controversy

    A safety expert who prefers anonymity, carpeted the NIIT chief’s unprovoked jab at the FRSC. According to him, the law which empowers the Corps to regulate safety could not have excluded from it the power to certify trainees.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Arrive Alive Road Safety Initiative (AARSI) Mr Ike Okonkwo said the FRSC has become a global brand that should be supported to continue to do everything to promote road safety.

    Okonkwo, who regarded the antagonism by the NIIT chief as needless and avoidable, said the impact of the FRSC is such that at the global summit of the United Nations (UN) in 2011, the UN, among other resolutions, urged member nations to emulate Nigeria and have a focal agency in charge of road safety.

    According to him, 1.3 million people reportedly died on global roads in 2011, and such an agency was to lead moves to reduce it by 50 percent in a decade.

    Okonkwo said AARSI, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) owned by Chevron, First Bank, Zenith Bank and Diamond Bank, has been working with the Corps  to keep the roads safe, adding that FRSC has maintained the lead in educating, training and certifying drivers wishing to drive on the roads.

     Can motorcyclist fly plane

    Safety Without Borders Executive Director Mr Patrick Adenusi wondered why anyone would fight FRSC over the certification of drivers.

    According to him, if no one would fly a plane whose pilot is a motorcyclist, why should anyone not be concerned that drivers who would ply the roads are trained and certified to use the roads.

    “If FRSC says it won’t do it because they are not empowered by law to train drivers or issue drivers licence, then the number of people dying on our roads, which is put at 5,000 could as well continue to rise.”

    He said arguments for pulling the rug off the feet of FRSC are self-serving. “No one should pick any hole at who regulates drivers in Nigeria,” he said, adding that over the years, the FRSC has continued to serve as quality control by ensuring that driving schools churn out only trained drivers, while those seeking renewals were mandated to undergo retraining to ensure that everyone keyed into the agenda to reduce road carnage.

    He said in his relationship with the Corps over the years, he has never heard the Corps own or run a driving school as alleged by the NIIT chief.

    According to him, though issuance of drivers licence is within the purview of the Motor Vehicle Administration Agencies (MVAA), the tripartite arrangement evolved over time, which saw the FRSC, MVAA and VIO manage the training, and certification of drivers should not be jettisoned.

    “The tripartite arrangement of driving licence issuance, which has always seen the FRSC, VIO and MVAA work together, has been working perfectly for Nigeria. In other jurisdiction, motor vehicle administration is saddled with drivers certification and drivers licence issuance, but our MVAA here are not as engaging and skilful as MVAA administration in America, which explains why FRSC should continue to play the leading role in sanitising the process through which drivers are certified to use the road and which type of vehicles they are certified to use.”

    According to him, “One should not forget that the main reason for certification is to reduce  deaths by road accidents, which going by WHO estimates of 30,000 deaths yearly, would have seen a growth rather than a reduction of global death statistics as a result of accidents.”

  • Train shutdown: We sympathise with commuters, says NRC boss

    The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Sunday said it sympathised with train commuters going through pains and difficulties due to the shutdown of daily operations of train services on the existing narrow gauge from Ijoko in Ogun to Ebute Meta-Apapa in Lagos.

    Recall that the NRC suspended the daily operations of train services in the axis on Sept. 30.

    The suspension became necessary to fast track the completion of the new standard gauge, which required shifting of the existing narrow gauge and relaying it to accommodate standard gauge rail line.

    The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, had on Sept. 23, announced November as deadline for the trial services on the about-to-be- completed Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line.

    The Lagos District Manager of NRC, Mr Jerry Oche, told NAN that the corporation was not unconcerned about the difficulties many commuters were going through since the shutdown, urging them to be patient.

    Oche, who said that the shutdown would last till middle of November, disclosed that NRC management was working with the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) to deliver the project as projected.

    “Words cannot express how I feel about what the commuters are going through. Don’t forget, I always say that it is not much about how much we make, but the services we render to the majority of people.

    “We bring succour and alleviate the suffering of thousands of Lagos residents. Now that we have shut down, I know a lot of people are having difficulties.

    “But we are, however, working with the Chinese contractor to see that the project is fixed within the set time. We should achieve what we wanted to achieve within the set time,’’ Oche said.

    He said that the district was also using the period of the shutdown to look inward and fix a lot of things, including the state of coaches and others.

    “We want to see what improvement we can bring in by the time we are resuming. I really want to appeal to our passengers, without them for me, we are not complete.

    “Whether we are moving hundred tonnes of goods or not, it does not matter; I am already missing the interactions we have on daily basis,’’ he said.

    The NRC boss, who noted that MTTS services remained the hope of many of the less privileged commuters, said that the new track, when completed, would also lower the accident rate.

    Read Also: Ferry boss seeks patronage of water transportation

    Oche added: “The Chinese (contractor) has commended the removal of the narrow gauge and the whole idea is for them to shift the old narrow gauge and lay a new one.

    “This is not just about completing the standard gauge, it is also about ensuring that we have a better narrow gauge.

    “The project itself entails the removal of the existing narrow gauge in complete shift to accommodate the standard gauge.

    “We are supposed to have two standard gauges and the narrow gauge beside it. You will notice a new narrow gauge around Agege, Iju and Agbado.

    “All this while, because we were still running train services, the contractor had not been able to work on this axis.

    “Now that the standard gauge itself has got to this axis, what is remaining is for them to work, do this part and then we will meet the minister’s directive of starting the trial of Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail operations.’’

    He said that the standard gauge which had gotten to Iju from Ibadan, needed to get to Apapa, which necessitated the stop of operations on narrow gauge, to lay the standard gauge.

    (NAN)

  • Which agency certifies drivers?

    If the government’s desire is to reduce carnage on the roads, the argument about who has the mandate to regulate drivers’ licence is needless and avoidable, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    Road safety experts have carpeted as needless, the query on the Federal Roads Safety Commission’s (FRSC) power to regulate the training of drivers or the issuance of drivers licence.

    The Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NIIT) Zaria, Olorogun John Onojeharho in the Punch last Friday, had queried the FRSC’s right to issue licences. He alleged that it operates quack driving schools to train drivers.

    But the agency said the FRSC Establishment Act 2007 as amended, gave it the statutory right to train and certify drivers.

    Its spokesman Bisi Kazeem, debunking the “erroneous insinuation,” at the weekend, said drivers’ certification is part of the FRSC’s responsibility. “Our responsibility is to ensure that drivers, motorists, and motorcyclists education are trained on how to operate their vehicles before they apply for the National Drivers Licence,” he said.

    He said FRSC has no driving school but certifies privately run driving schools to ensure compliance to standards.

    He said FRSC derives its mandate from Section 10 (3)c of the FRSC Establishment Act 2007: “To educate drivers, motorists and members of the public generally on the proper use of the highways.”

    Put in broader perspective, according to Kazeem,”education and training are interchangeable where learning or education is synonymous with training, which means a process by which someone is taught a skill that is needed for an art, profession, or job.”

    According to him, the FRSC, as the agency charged with the safety of lives and property on the roads has not only been educating fleet operators on the minimum safety standards, it has continued to regulate the establishment and certification of driving schools that are registered to train drivers on the operation of vehicles and the proper use of roads.

    The beginning

    Prior to 1988, the Federal Government had no concrete or sustained policy to address the carnage on  the roads. Earlier attempts to manage carnage on the roads were limited to isolated attempts by some states of the federation and institutions.

    One of the earliest pioneers of road safety initiative, according to Wikipedia, was the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) between 1960 and 1965. Following on its heels, was the Nigerian Army’s Annual Road Safety Week which started in 1972.

    The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), established in 1974, was the Federal Military Government’s first real attempt at promoting road safety. It was however short lived. In 1977, the military administration in old Oyo State, established the Oyo State Road Safety Corps (OSRSC), which instilled some road discipline and achieved significant improvements in road safety in the state. The Corps was disbanded by the military government in 1983.

    In February 1988, the Federal Government established the Federal Road Safety Commission through Decree No. 45 of the 1988 as amended by Decree 35 of 1992, referred to in the statute books as the FRSC Act cap 141 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), passed by the National Assembly as Federal Road Safety Corps (establishment) Act 2007.

    It has, among other statutory functions, the duty of making the highway safe for motorists and other road users, eliminate or minimise accidents on the highways and advising the Federal and state governments, including the Federal Capital Territory Administration and relevant governmental agencies on the localities where such works and devices are required, and educating motorists and members of the public on the importance of discipline on the highway.

    Its other responsibilities are: Clearing obstructions on any part of the highways, educating drivers, motorists and other members of the public on the proper use of the highways, designing and producing the driver’s license to be used by various categories of vehicle operators, determining, from time to time, the requirements to be satisfied by an applicant for a driver’s licence and designing and producing vehicle number plates.

    It is also mandated to standardise highway traffic codes, educate drivers, motorists and other members of the public generally on the proper use of the highways,  give prompt care and attention to victims of accidents and conducting researches into causes of motor accidents and methods of preventing them and putting into use the result of such research.

    The FRSC is also to determine and enforce speed limits for all categories of roads and vehicles and controlling the use of speed limiting devices, cooperate with bodies or agencies or groups in road safety activities or in prevention of accidents on the highways, making regulations in pursuance of any of the functions assigned to the Corps, regulate the use of sirens, flashers and beacon lights on vehicles other than ambulances and vehicles belonging to the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police, Fire Service and other Paramilitary agencies, providing roadside and mobile clinics for the treatment of accident victims free of charge.

    Other mandates are to regulate the use of mobile phones by motorists, regulating the use of seat belts and other safety devices, regulating the use of motorcycles on the highways, maintaining the validity period for drivers’ licences which shall be three years subject to renewal at the expiration of the validity period.

    Needless controversy

    A safety expert who prefers anonymity, carpeted the NIIT chief’s unprovoked jab at the FRSC. According to him, the law which empowers the Corps to regulate safety could not have excluded from it the power to certify trainees.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Arrive Alive Road Safety Initiative (AARSI) Mr Ike Okonkwo said the FRSC has become a global brand that should be supported to continue to do everything to promote road safety.

    Okonkwo, who regarded the antagonism by the NIIT chief as needless and avoidable, said the impact of the FRSC is such that at the global summit of the United Nations (UN) in 2011, the UN, among other resolutions, urged member nations to emulate Nigeria and have a focal agency in charge of road safety.

    According to him, 1.3 million people reportedly died on global roads in 2011, and such an agency was to lead moves to reduce it by 50 percent in a decade.

    Okonkwo said AARSI, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) owned by Chevron, First Bank, Zenith Bank and Diamond Bank, has been working with the Corps  to keep the roads safe, adding that FRSC has maintained the lead in educating, training and certifying drivers wishing to drive on the roads.

    Can motorcyclist fly plane

    Safety Without Borders Executive Director Mr Patrick Adenusi wondered why anyone would fight FRSC over the certification of drivers.

    According to him, if no one would fly a plane whose pilot is a motorcyclist, why should anyone not be concerned that drivers who would ply the roads are trained and certified to use the roads.

    “If FRSC says it won’t do it because they are not empowered by law to train drivers or issue drivers licence, then the number of people dying on our roads, which is put at 5,000 could as well continue to rise.”

    He said arguments for pulling the rug off the feet of FRSC are self-serving. “No one should pick any hole at who regulates drivers in Nigeria,” he said, adding that over the years, the FRSC has continued to serve as quality control by ensuring that driving schools churn out only trained drivers, while those seeking renewals were mandated to undergo retraining to ensure that everyone keyed into the agenda to reduce road carnage.

    He said in his relationship with the Corps over the years, he has never heard the Corps own or run a driving school as alleged by the NIIT chief.

    According to him, though issuance of drivers licence is within the purview of the Motor Vehicle Administration Agencies (MVAA), the tripartite arrangement evolved over time, which saw the FRSC, MVAA and VIO manage the training, and certification of drivers should not be jettisoned.

    “The tripartite arrangement of driving licence issuance, which has always seen the FRSC, VIO and MVAA work together, has been working perfectly for Nigeria. In other jurisdiction, motor vehicle administration is saddled with drivers certification and drivers licence issuance, but our MVAA here are not as engaging and skilful as MVAA administration in America, which explains why FRSC should continue to play the leading role in sanitising the process through which drivers are certified to use the road and which type of vehicles they are certified to use.”

    According to him, “One should not forget that the main reason for certification is to reduce  deaths by road accidents, which going by WHO estimates of 30,000 deaths yearly, would have seen a growth rather than a reduction of global death statistics as a result of accidents.

  • Simba inaugurates flagship TVS showroom in Abuja

    The Simba Group has opened a state-of-the-art showroom and first of its kind in Nigeria, for their range of TVS motorcycles and tricycles at Garki, Abuja.

    The Simba TVS Centre offers customers a one-stop-shop solution for vehicles, accessories, spare parts and service.

    The showroom was inaugurated by the immediate past Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Senator Omotayo Alasoadura, Director General of the National Directorate of Employment, Dr Nasir Ladan Mohammed Argungu and Dr Mohammed Bello Umar Tambuwal, Permanent Secretary- Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    Chairman of Simba Group, Chief Vinay Grover said: “Simba has always been committed to social and economic development, and our motorcycles and tricycles strike at the heart of this philosophy – driving millions of Nigerians to work, to school, to pray and to get on with their daily lives; and in turn, driving the economy. Besides all those employed by us directly, our products generate employment for millions of people in the country – right from the drivers of our motorcycles and tricycles, to the dealers, micro finance partners and fleet owners that make them available, and finally to the tens of thousands of mechanics who provide after-sales-service for them.

    READ ALSO: Simba Group unveils Luminous DeLite

    “It’s with this in mind, that we were honored to invite our Chief Guests today, not only to inaugurate the Simba TVS Center but also to celebrate the accomplishments of the company in this regard.”

    The showroom featured the latest motorcycles and tricycles from TVS, including the recently launched TVS King Duramax – a tricycle enhanced with a higher power, and more efficient, Duralife engine which leads to longer vehicle life and stronger performance.

    Also on display is the TVS XL 100, dubbed the ‘Oga for Load’ due to its suitability for rural and in particular farming, applications.

  • Addressing incessant fall of articulated trucks

    It is about time the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) addressed the issue of incessant fall of petroleum and containerised trucks, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    The fall, last Thursday, of a fuel tanker on the Otedola Bridge, Lagos, the second this year, and the attendant lock down of roads abutting the area, is the latest wake up call Federal Government agencies, especially the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FSRC), must take on the issue of safety compliance, particularly by truck drivers, to the front burner.

    The accident, which occurred  about 10am, caused a jam that locked down almost the greater parts of Mainland Lagos for the day. It lasted into the wee hours of Friday, with agony tales by road users.

    A motorist, Thomas Damilare, on Lagos Traffic Radio (LTR), lamented that he spent seven hours from his Victoria Island office to his Mowe, Ogun State home, instead of the usual one hour.

    Though no life was lost in the accident, the traffic snarl it caused was, for hundreds of people caught in it, enough nightmare.

    It was not the first time such would happen on that road, accidents are a regular feature, locking out motorists and commuters, especially those living along that corridor.

    Of all road users, it seems articulated vehicle drivers have almost become untouchables. They break the law and some of them drive with reckless abandon. Also, many of the trucks have long passed their service life and  have become a mere contraption and an accident waiting to happen.

    Take for example the container laden trailer that got stuck on the Iganmu Bridge last Thursday. The trailer exiting the port could not ascend the bridge. It blocked the road, causing a heavy traffic, until it was evacuated.

    June 27, last year, was a day many would not forget in a hurry in Lagos. Nine persons died and about 54 vehicles were lost to a massive fire from a petroleum tanker that exploded on the same Otedola Bridge.

    The FRSC said the recurrent falling of articulated vehicles, with the attendant killing of innocent citizens, was worrisome.

    The agency assured Nigerians that it was working to end the ugly trend.

    The Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, said FRSC was concerned with the frequency and fatality from tanker crashes, especially when such involved spillage of fuel and resultant inferno.

    According to him, the FRSC has sustained tanker safety awareness campaign over the past few years.

    His words: “The majority of the tankers are old and rickety, requiring replacement. Secondy is that some of them operate without safety valves, coupled with the state of well-being of the drivers. All these drawbacks are addressed by the Corps campaign.”

    Kazeem said there were efforts to evolve a fleet renewal scheme, a public-private sector initiative between the government and relevant petroleum tankers unions, to create opportunities for the purchase of  new tankers to replace rickety ones.

    At a summit by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, stakeholders, including the Corps, Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) of the Nigeria Union Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) and Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) agreed that the Federal Government must provide access to new fleet, if Nigeria must overcome the challenges besetting haulage.

    In the interim, the corps, in the last three years, had been deploying men to fuel depots and facilities across the country to ensure that tankers to load wet cargoes meet minimum safety standards before they are allowed to do so.

    The standards, according to Kazeem, are the possession of safety valves to prevent fuel spillage, if the tanker falls.

    “We are also working with the leadership of the tanker unions to ensure periodic training and retraining of tanker drivers, including issues of their health status and eye test,” he said.

    He added that the Safe-to-load Policy, introduced by the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, in 2017, was to ensure that there’s no spillage of any flammable products, thereby protecting the cargo for transloading and preventing carnage.

    Kazeem revealed that the corps was working with the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) to ensure that articulated vehicles were tested and given regular checks to remove unfit vehicles from the road.

    “This effort will help in taking expired and bad vehicles off our roads,” Kazeem said.

    At a the first inaugural lecture of the Lagos State University School of Transport Studies (LASU-SOT), Oyeyemi said he had to softpedal on enforcement of standards, especially of expired trucks because of their importance to the economy.

    Oyeyemi argued that had the Corps fully enforced the law, 70 per cent of articulated trucks on the roads would have been taken off because they have “expired engines”.

    A trailer head costs between N30 and N50 million.

    On the average, none of the articulated vehicles on the roads are below 30 years.

    To manage the trucks’ menace, the Corps has introduced measures such as the deployment of special patrol operations, mobile courts and others, to manage the situation until the economy is strong enough to grow that sub-sector.

    However, checks revealed that most tanker drivers lacked knowledge of basic safety tips and traffic regulations that could aid their movement on the road. Besides, many of them are too young. They struggle for space with smaller vehicles.

    Faced with this reality, the Corps said it has put in place aggressive  campaigns for drivers.

    At its last meeting with Dangote Group, the Corps advocated the establishment of more driving schools, especially for articulated vehicle drivers. Such schools, it argued, would go a long way in  teaching them modern driving techniques.

    Admittedly, FRSC has intensified its public enlightenment campaigns, training and retraining, seminars and workshops for drivers of articulated vehicles.

    “The Corps is highly committed to public enlightenment/education campaigns due to its impact on road traffic crash reduction on our roads,” Kazeem said.

    “In as much as the Corps is on its toes day and night to salvage the situation, it is important to say here that some articulated truck drivers also tend to be recalcitrant on the road, especially in areas where our men are not on patrol.The behavioural pattern of some of this difficult tanker drivers calls for concern and that is why the Corps is taking campaigns to their door steps to ensure that their orientation is changed,’’ he added.