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Tag: Boboye Oyeyemi

  • Road accidents: FRSC records 4,410 deaths in 2017

    Road accidents: FRSC records 4,410 deaths in 2017

    The Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC ) recorded 4,410 deaths by road accidents in 2017.

    The recorded  number which is lower than that of 2016 is in  7,937 road crashes with 23,392 victims injured.

    The figures, is lower than the number recorded in 2016 which was 4,527 deaths with 26,749 injured.

    Corps Marshal FRSC Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, while giving a performance review yesterday in Abuja described the reduction in crashes and fatalities as a success story.

    Oyeyemi who attributed the result to the enlightenment programmes by the corps and the support from stakeholders, including the security services,  media and the transport unions. 

    Added, “The corps worked assiduously in 2017 to bring down the rate of road traffic crashes nationwide as we recorded 7,937 crashes as against 8,560 in 2016 indicating a decrease of 7.28 per cent, while the number of people killed in 2017 was 4,410 as against 4,527 in 2016. This represents a reduction pf 2.58 percent.

    “Twenty-three thousand, three hundred and ninety-two persons were injured in 2017 as against 26,749 in 2016 giving us a reduction of 1.34 percent.”

    He also said that fines paid by traffic offenders may be increased this year, noting that the penalties stipulated by the law is low.

    Hus words, “You can’t fine an offender N4,000 for using a mobile phone while driving and he would still go back and commit the same offence; The fines may go up this year, we would also have more mobile courts on the highways to try offenders,” 

    He also revealed that crashes involving articulated trucks, including tankers and trailers, had reduced due to the installation of speed limiters, adding that the corps had recorded 60 per cent compliance rate by truck owners. 

    Oyeyemi stated that the FRSC enforcement would focus on tyres and overloading which he said constituted a problem in the northern part of the country.

    He complained about the poor quality of tyres being imported into the country, noting that he had made a presentation to the government to encourage local production of quality tyres.

    He called for equipment and retraining of states traffic management agencies personnel, and lauded Lagos, Ogun, Delta and a few other states for equipping their traffic officers.

  • Yuletide: FG warns security agencies against traffic law violations

    Yuletide: FG warns security agencies against traffic law violations

    The Federal Government on Tuesday says it will not tolerate traffic law violations by convoy drivers, military personnel and law enforcement agents during and after the Yuletides.

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, gave the warning at a capacity building workshop in Abuja.

    The workshop was on the United Nations Road Safety Legal Instruments on Traffic Signs and Regulations.

    Mustapha said as government played its role to ensure safety of lives and property, all road users must obey traffic rules and regulations regardless of their status.

    “Let me further warn that while the Federal Road Safety Corps will continue to act in line with the rule of law, government will not tolerate any one running officials of the Corps down in the exercise of their duties.

    “Government drivers, especially those that drive us around, convoy drivers, must not disrupt flow of traffic or act in contra-distinction to traffic officers’ directives.

    “Let me also admonish the military and all law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the FRSC throughout the end-of-year operations and beyond.

    “The safety of and security of this great nation rests on your collective shoulders, hence the failure of one would be seen as failure of all.’’

    Mustapha said the federal government would continue to empower the FRSC in the discharge of its duties, especially in the area of apprehending and sanctioning recalcitrant offenders.

    The SGF, whose office supervises the FRSC, assured the international community and Nigerians of government’s commitment to road safety issues through increased investment and political will.

    The keynote speaker and Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, disagreed with the popular notion that the nation’s roads are dead traps.

    Fashola said that though bad roads contributed to road accidents, the leading cause remained speed violation resulting from bad attitude of motorists.

    “I have heard people describe our roads as death traps, but what I say to people is that my team and I, about 50 of us travelled those roads early this year.

    “We drove everyday from 8 a.m. to at least 8 p.m. One day we drove for 18 hours. We traversed 34 states, but the instructive thing is that we drove at a maximum speed of 100 km per hour, we drove at night, and we did not have an accident.

    “We were not trapped and we did not die on the dead traps. All of us will just do well to understand that there are speed limits on our highways, there are breaking distances in driving.

    “Even if the road conditions are good, if you do not observe the speed limits, you endanger yourselves.

    “I agree that bad roads contribute to accidents, but I disagree on the evidence that we have that bad roads are the cause of the accidents.’’

    Read also: FRSC arraigns 187 traffic offenders in Bayelsa

    Fashola cited the FRSC monthly road traffic statistics, which show that bad roads contribute only between 0.5 and 1 per cent of accidents in the country.

    Speed violation remains the leading cause, contributing over 55 per cent of the road traffic accidents recorded by the Corps on monthly basis across the country.

    The minister, therefore, urged FRSC to intensify its enforcement of driver’s license, speed limiter installation and other traffic rules and regulations to reduce carnage on the Nation’s highways.

    He also called for more empowerment of the FRSC through increased funding and provision of facilities like rescue helicopters to boost their post-crash operations.

    The Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, assured all stakeholders that the Corps remained committed to driving the campaign for safer roads within Nigeria and in the West African sub-region.

    “FRSC will continue to embrace support that would assist not only its personnel, but also our stakeholders from time to time.

    “It is only though continuous education and enlightenment that we all can become better professionals of honour,’’ Oyeyemi said.

    The workshop was organised by the office of the SGF in conjunction with the FRSC and the Sustainable Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

    It aims at building the capacity of federal and state traffic management authorities on implementation of the United Nations road safety conventions to which Nigeria is signatory.

    FRSC personnel, federal controllers of highways, state directors of highways and traffic management agencies and development partners are participating in the two-day workshop.

    NAN

  • Drunk driving: FRSC arrests 238 offenders

    Drunk driving: FRSC arrests 238 offenders

    Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), on Wednesday said that 238 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol between January and September 2017.

    Oyeyemi made the disclosure at the annual “ember’’ months sensitisation programme tagged; “Don’t Drink and Drive” organised by the Nigeria Breweries at the Ojota Motor Park, Lagos State.

    The corps marshal, who was represented by Mr Bisi Kazeem, FRSC Head of Public Education, said that the corps was working assiduously to ensure that there was change of attitude among motorists before, during and after the Yuletide.

    “For this reason, it is not out place to stress that a drunk driver is likely to drive dangerously or commit traffic light violation.

    “These are part of the reasons the operation Cobra Enforcement, under the direct supervision of the corps marshal, focuses on it.

    “So far, the operation has recorded a total of 2,943 offenders who contravened various traffic offences within the first three quarters of the year,” he said.

    According to him, 1,414 drivers arrested during the Cobra Enforcement Operation were referred for emotional and psychological evaluation in government hospitals.

    Oyeyemi commended Nigerian Breweries for its sponsorship of the “ember’’ months campaign and its support to the FRSC in educating and sensitising motorists.

    The corps marshal said that the programme was organised to discourage drivers from consuming alcohol before driving.

    Also, Mr Hyginus Omeje, FRSC Lagos State Sector Commander, commended Nigerian Breweries for supporting the corps in tackling the phenomenon of driving under the influence of alcohol.

    “This year’s campaign marks the 10th edition of the Don’t Drink and Drive campaign being sponsored by Nigerian Breweries as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility to the consumers.

    “As we officially flag off this “ember’’ months road safety sensitisation campaign, I charge each and every one to redirect our mind set towards good road use by obeying all rules and regulations as it affects our lives,” he said.

    In a message to the occasion, Mr Johan Doyer, the Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said that the Don’t drink don’t drive campaign was to discourage driving under the influence of alcohol and improve safety on the roads.

    Doyer, who was represented by Mr Kufre Ekanem, Head of Corporate Affairs, Nigerian Breweries, said that the initiative was part of the company’s advocacy of responsible consumption of alcohol.

    He said that the advocacy was part of its sustainability agenda “Brewing a Better World”.

    Dover said that objective was the improvement of road safety awareness for all commercial drivers and draw attention to alcohol related accidents as a result of drink driving.

    Mr Tajuden Agbede, the Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State branch, commended Nigeria Breweries for sponsoring don’t drink and drive campaign.

    Agbede said that the union on weekly basis organised enlightenment programmes for its members to caution drivers on the danger of driving under the influence of alcohol.

    He advised motorists to obey the traffic rules and regulations during and after the Yuletide to prevent accidents on the highways.

  • Trucks used in Nigeria are over 30 years old – FRSC Corp Marshal

    Trucks used in Nigeria are over 30 years old – FRSC Corp Marshal

    The Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC ) yesterday decried the poor state of the trucks on the highways across the country.

    The FRSC disclosed that some of the trucks that travel on the highways are over 30 years.

    This, the Corp said has contributed to their frequent breakdowns and obstruction on the highway.

    To however address the poor state of the fleet, the FRSC and Nigeria Shippers Council signed a MoU; ‘Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme.

    The MoU which is expected to set standard for the operation of fleet across the country would also assist in data collection of truck drivers and owners.

    This was disclosed in Abuja when the MoU was signed by both agencies.

    Speaking on the importance of the scheme, the FRSC Corp Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi said: “We would partner with them to ensure that the parks they want to construct are appropriately located.

    “The Scheme provides for all the truck owners to register with the corps and it will make us have a joint database and with that, we should be able to tell the country how many trucks we have for planning and economic purposes.”

    On the poor state of the trucks, Oyeyemi said: “We should also be able to tell the state of these vehicles in order to encourage government to work on re-fleeting because most of these trucks on the highways are over 30 years and that is why we experience frequent breakdowns, especially in areas where the roads are bad.

    “We need to tell government the actual number of trucks available and their lifespan in order for government to assist in the re-fleeting, maybe through the Bank of Industry ( BOI ) or through any other means.

    “The truck owners are really in dare need of a life-saving intervention in terms of re-fleeting. We are battling with old trucks and there is an urgent need to really address this”.

    The Corp Marshal also noted that the implementation of the scheme which is immediate would carry stakeholders in the transport sector along.

    “The implication is that all truck owners must now comply with the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme. We need to get it right to stop all these indiscriminate parking, accidents, on the highway and once the drivers know that they are fully registered and can be punished, they will sit up.”

    Also seapking, the Executive Secretary of NSC, Hassan Bello said the scheme when implemented would boost the economy of the  country and help in the decongestion of roads.

    He also said the initiative would ensure quick delivery and distribution of goods adding that the first set of parks would be located in Enugu and Kogi States.

    He said: “We are concerned just like the FRSC about free movement of goods, the delivery of goods, good transport infrastructure.

    “As you know, 90 percent of the goods that come into Nigeria are distributed by road, so it is important we have not only the good road as an infrastructure but we should have supporting facilities like the Truck Transit Parks to ensure smooth delivery.

    On the essence of the MoU signed, Bello said: “it would help to standardize the vehicles because if you look at the fleet,  they are rickety and old and we need to start refleeting of these trucks.

    “Refleeting would help us look at the economic indices. We have been working with Automobile Council to see how it could be done and the truckers themselves”.

  • FRSC to commence aggressive sanction of drivers without license

    FRSC to commence aggressive sanction of drivers without license

    With the observed disobedience to the regulation on the use of driver’s licence by some drivers in the country, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is organising a special operation targeted at detecting the violators and sanctioning them.

    This was disclosed by the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi while receiving the Secretary of Transportation for the FCT, Mr Kayode Opeifa during his courtesy visit to the FRSC National Headquarters Wednesday.
    According to Bisi Kazeem, Corps Public Education Officer, FRSC, the Corps Marshal said the practice of driving vehicle without proper driver’s licence as observed in some drivers is illegal and unacceptable to the FRSC, stressing that the perpetrators would be sanctioned accordingly. Oyeyemi further stated that traffic regulation requires that every driver must be properly licensed to operate a motor vehicle, and whoever violates this basic requirement would be apprehended and meted with appropriate sanctions to serve as deterrence to others.

    To this end, the FCT Sector Commander of the FRSC has been directed to commence a special operation that could fish out the perpetrators of the act and sanction them accordingly.

    Mr Opeifa commended the leadership of the FRSC for the success recorded by the nation in the international recognition of the Nigeria Driver’s licence. He noted that due to the security features introduced into the licences, which make their validity to be verifiable online, many states in the USA have given reciprocal recognition to the holders of the licence from Nigeria, adding that the feats achieved by the FRSC over the years were made possible because of its adoption of technology and huge investment in information technology.

    He congratulated all the states of the Federation and the agencies that contributed to achieving the feat. He further observed that the credibility attained by the document and consequent international recognition remain a pride to the nation. In the same vein, Mr Opeifa commended the FRSC for its untiring campaign on roadworthiness of vehicles, not only in Nigeria, but within the West African sub-region where the FRSC presided over the affairs of the West African Road Safety Organization (WARSO) for a number of years during which visible results were recorded in creating road safety awareness among the people.

    The Secretary appealed for sustained collaboration with the FRSC to make the Electronic Vehicle Inspection Scheme pioneered by the FCT Administration a success, saying the contribution made by the FRSC towards the success of the project is well appreciated. He restated the willingness of the FCT Administration to tap into the experiences and synergy offered by the FRSC in the area of traffic management in the country with the aim of making Abuja a model for other states of the federation to emulate.

    He expressed support for the idea of establishing FCT Road Traffic Management Agency, noting that in view of the growing volume and sophistication of motor transportation business in the FCT, there is the need for the establishment of the agency to handle road traffic management in the FCT the Road Traffic Services would continue to play its traditional role of vehicle inspection and issuance of road worthiness certificates to motorists.

    In his remarks, the Corps Marshal commended Mr Kayode Opeifa for his immense contributions to the success of the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy document. He noted that with the approval given to the strategy document by the Federal Government and inauguration of the National Road Safety Advisory Council by the Vice President early this year, which drew membership from Governors and Ministers including some non- governmental organizations, Nigeria is set to tackle its road safety challenges as demonstrated by the political will of the government.

    The Corps Marshal further observed that some of the immediate challenges the Secretary would face in his assignments at the FCT includes the challenges of road traffic management during the peak period characterizing Christmas and New Year. Others he pointed out are prompt response to report of road conditions by the FCT administration, but expressed satisfaction with the promptness with which the FCT Minister has been responding to reports on road conditions in parts of the FCT. This he said has enabled safer road usage and prevented unnecessary gridlock in the FCT.

    Oyeyemi restated the view that the solution to eradicating mechanically deficient and rickety vehicles from plying the FCT roads lies in employing effective use of electronic vehicle inspection scheme. He assured the Secretary of the readiness of the FRSC to collaborate with the FCT Administration in ensuring the success of road safety initiatives in the FCT including maximum utilization of the vehicle inspection scheme for safety of roads in the FCT.

    The Corps Marshal further noted that part of the reforms carried out by the FRSC to protect the integrity of the driver’s licence was the policy of compulsory participation of fresh drivers in the driving school and certification by relevant agents before being captured for biometric data by the FRSC and vowed to sustain the integrity of the driver’s licences including the number plates.

  • Gunmen invade FRSC command, kill official

    Gunmen invade FRSC command, kill official

    Unidentified gunmen on Thursday invaded the Tsafe Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Zamfara and killed an official.

    The hoodlums numbering over 20 stormed the command’s premises on motorcycles at about 10:00 a.m. and opened fire on the official.

    “There was confusion as sounds of sporadic gunshots rented the air, while the road safety officials around scampered for safety in different directions.

    “However, one of the officials was unlucky as he was shot and killed by the attackers,” an eyewitness said.

    According to him, one of the gunmen was killed by soldiers who quickly mobilised to the scene, while the rest escaped into the bush and abandoned their motorcycles.

    The FRSC Public Education Officer, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, confirmed the incident.

    “It is true that our command in Tsafe, Zamfara, was attacked this (Thursday) morning.

    “A Deputy Route Commander of the FRSC was killed by the hoodlums while other staff escaped with one still missing,” Kazeem said.

    He said the police and the army had taken over the matter.

    According to him, the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, has condemned the “unprovoked” attack but sued for calm among officials and the general public.

    “He is confident that both the police and the army will bring the perpetrators to justice.

    “The corps marshal has also reassured officers and men of the corps of their security and safety anywhere in the country,” the FRSC official added.

    NAN

  • 30 killed in Ibadan autocrash – FRSC

    30 killed in Ibadan autocrash – FRSC

    The Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC ) confirmed an auto accident on the Lagos-Ibadan highway has claimed 30 lives on Thursday night.

    Spokesman of the FRSC, Mr Bisi Kazeem, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

    Kazeem said the accident occurred at about 8 p.m. at Km 95 around the Elebolo Quary Area on the Ibadan axis of the road.

    According to him, 10 other persons were injured in the crash involving 40 persons and two Mazda buses.

    “The crash occurred at a construction site, and it resulted from route and speed violations.

    “This has further underscored the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi’s advice to motorists to avoid night journeys, be careful around construction sites and drive within approved speed limits,” he said.

    Kazeem said rescue operations by FRSC officials, who arrived at the scene minutes after the incident, ended at 2:42 a.m. on Friday.

    He disclosed that the corpses were deposited at Adeoyo Yemetu Hospital mortuary, Ibadan.

    The injured were taken to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, and Adeoyo Yemetu Hospital, he added.

  • Sallah: FRSC deploys 33,000 personnel, 859 vehicles for special patrol

    Sallah: FRSC deploys 33,000 personnel, 859 vehicles for special patrol

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it is deploying 33,000 personnel and 859 vehicles for a nationwide special patrol during the Sallah to ensure free flow of traffic and check accidents.

    Mr Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer of the FRSC made this known in a statement on Tuesday.

    Kazeem also said that said that 106 ambulances, 267 motorcycles and 22 tow trucks would be deployed for the exercise due to begin on Thursday and end on Sept. 6.

    According to the FRSC spokesman, the exercise will focus on traffic control, excessive speeding, dangerous driving/overtaking, clearance of obstruction, seatbelt use violation and use of phone while driving.

    He said that others were lane indiscipline and route violation which had been identified as recurring factors for road traffic accidents.

    Kazeem advised motorists to adhere strictly to traffic rules and regulations as over 200 Mobile Courts had been set up to prosecute traffic offenders during the period.

    He urged the general public, in the event of emergency, to notify the corps through its emergency line: 0700-call-FRSC (070022553772 or toll free number, 122, for prompt response.

    Kazeem quoted the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi as wishing Nigerians, especially Muslims happy celebration and assuring them that personnel of the corps would be on ground to serve them.

  • ‘5.000 persons in custody over traffic violation’

    ‘5.000 persons in custody over traffic violation’

    The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has arrested 5,000 persons for violation of traffic rules while 2,000 others have been sent to government facilities for psychological evaluation since it began its Cobra Operations nationwide.

    The Corps Marshall, Boboye Oyeyemi, disclosed this on Monday while speaking with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Oyeyemi said five key issues involved in the Cobra Operations were using phone while driving, jumping the traffic lights, route violation, overloading and over speeding.

    He said the major challenge the corps was facing at present was drivers of private vehicles who do not respect traffic rules.

    “You can see the problem that most of the people we are arresting on this violation and being sent to government facilities for psychological evaluation are more of private vehicle owners,” Oyeyemi said.

    He explained that there has been some gradual improvement in enforcement and compliance nationwide.

    According to him, there has been a decline in the number of road crashes involving commercial vehicles since the commencement of the use of speed-limiting device.

    He said: “If you observed of recent, the crashes involving trailers and tankers have dropped.  With that there is a decline in crashes involving commercial vehicles.”

    He said the FRSC has deployed a special squad of 10 bikes and five patrol vehicles to work round the clock in Abuja where violation of traffic rules is highest at present.

    Oyeyemi said the corps was ready for increased traffic during the celebrations of the Eid el Kabir festival coming up early next month and the ember months that precede Christmas and New Year.

    He said: “We are ready for the ember months; that is why had a strategy meeting last Monday to review our strategies and plan for ember months and once we plan for ember, Sallah is already a given.  We did well during the last Salah festival and I think in the next two weeks we are deploying more vehicles to remove broken down vehicles.”

    The corps marshal said though all roads are prone to accidents, there are some where accidents occur more frequently.

    He said: “All roads are prone to crashes but again you pick some like the areas where we are having problems.”

    Oyeyemi announced that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo would be the Special Guest of Honour of the FRSC’s Seventh International Annual Lecture Series.

    He said he was at the Presidential Villa to update the Presidency on the preparations for the lecture.

  • FRSC confers honourary special marshal on Okei-Odumakin

    FRSC confers honourary special marshal on Okei-Odumakin

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Wednesday conferred honourary special marshal to rights activist, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin,  for defending FRSC officers reportedly attacked by security operatives attached to the Speaker of Abia Assembly, Mr Chikwendu Kalu.

    The Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, made the conferment on Okei-Odumakin, President of Women Arise for Change Initiative (WA), at WA Office on Omole Estate, Lagos.

    Two FRSC personnel were on July 15 reportedly shot by policemen attached to Kalu.

    The officers were said to have stopped a vehicle conveying the speaker’s wife, on the Umuikaa-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway. The officers reportedly stopped the vehicle over a traffic offence.

    “Legal action is a process, and we can all see what the inspector-general of police has already done; the policemen involved have been tried and dismissed.

    “For the speaker, we have engaged our solicitors. We have filed all the papers now; legal process is not what you wake up today and conclude; you must follow the process.
    “The wife will be charged with traffic offence. The husband too will be charged. Let us meet in the court.

    “Denying it is wrong; he should have accepted what has happened publicly and closed the matter, but now that he has denied it, we will meet in court,” Oyeyemi said.

    He said that the corps would continue to partner with civil societies which, he said, had a crucial role to play in road management through advocacy, public education and enlightenment.

    In her address, Okei-Odumakin commended FRSC leadership for the honour.
    She called for synergy between civil societies and security agencies for effective road management, giving the assurance that WA would not let Nigeria down.

    “There is need for consensus building between FRSC, civil societies and the general public. As a civil society, we have done many things with law enforcement agencies.

    “We will continue in our advocacy, education and enlightenment to ensure that road users obey road rules and orders,” she said.