The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FRSC

  • FRSC Mobile Court convicts 71 traffic offenders in Onitsha

    THE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) mobile court on Friday convicted 71 traffic offenders along the Onitsha-Owerri road in Onitsha, Anambra. Mr George Olaniran, the Corps Legal Adviser told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the offenders were charged with 90 traffic offences. Olaniran said that 72 were charged to court but one person was discharged and acquitted. He said the exercise was carried out to advice motorists on proper traffic behaviour.

    “The offenders were tried for overloading, failure to install speed limiting device, drink-driving and use of vehicles by unlicensed and underage drivers which usually occur during festive periods. “We have a special campaign on overloading because apart from over-speeding, overloading has been a major concern especially in this corridor,” he said. Olaniran noted that more than 65 per cent of road accidents were as a result of the over-speeding. He said the speed limiting device was a strategic intervention on road traffic accidents.

    He commended fleet operators for their support for speed limiter, noting that it had helped to reduce road accidents on high ways. The state Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Sunday Ajayi said the exercise would continue with public enlightenment to ensure that traffic laws were obeyed. He said the essence was to sanitise the roads, advising motorists to always consider their safety and that of their passengers when using the road.

  • Professor, five others die in road crash

    The Dean, School of Basic Medical Sciences at the Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ebonyi, Prof. Robert Nneli is dead.

    He died in one of the two accidents recorded Thursday night at the notorious 131 junction of the Abakaliki-Enugu federal highway.

    Nneli, 69 years old, joined the University in 2012 after spending close to 20 years at Abia State University.

    He was educated at St. Patrick’s Secondary School Emene in Enugu and the University of Calabar.

    Mrs Stella Uchendu, Sector Commander of the FRSC in Ebonyi confirmed the two accidents in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    She said both accidents occurred between 9 and 11pm.

    According to her, it was raining heavily when the accidents occurred and attributed to possible reckless driving, over-speeding and poor visibility.

    “In the first accident, the articulated vehicle’s driver blinded with his headlight the driver of the white-coloured Toyota Camry vehicle which made him lose control as he was on top speed.

    “The vehicle then veered off its lane and collided with the on-coming articulated vehicle. The car was crushed by the truck.

    “The professor died in the accident as his son and another occupant sustained serious injuries and are receiving treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.

    According to Uchendu, the second accident involved an SUV with five occupants which also crashed into stationary articulated vehicle due to over speeding and poor visibility.

    “When we concluded our evacuation, the police men on duty told us that they would tow the articulated vehicle off the road but they never did.

    “The SUV apparently crashed into the articulated vehicle as all its five occupants died and their corpses evacuated to the Federal Teaching hospital Abakaliki,” she said.

    She commended her officers for their prompt response to the crashes and urged motorists to always obey traffic regulations.

    “Motorists should ensure that when they are confronted with headlights from oncoming vehicles, they should reduce their speed and and keep to their right side.

    “Motorists should also avoid night travels, driving under the rain and ensure they obey road regulations to save lives,”

    A witness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the drivers of the Camry and the SUV were to blame for driving recklessly under the rain.

    “The FRSC should increase its enlightenment of motorists especially on night journeys and driving under the rain, in order to check the incessant loss of lives on the road.

    DSP Jude Madu, the Ebonyi Police Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRP) absolved his men of any complicity by failing to tow the articulated vehicle.

    He blamed the FRSC for failing in its duty.

    “No police officer would reject an offer of assistance to tow vehicles off the road, in order to save lives as my officers stayed on the road till day break to enforce law and order.

    “They even signaled to approaching cars to divert to the other lane of the road but most drivers including that of the SUV, failed to heed to the diversion signals,” he said.

  • FRSC deploys personnel, vehicles

    No fewer than 710 personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun State have been deployed for 24 hours special patrol aimed at easing  traffic ahead and during Easter celebration, Sector Commander Clement Oladele  has said.

    He said the corps also deployed 25 patrol vehicles, five ambulances, four patrol motor bikes and one heavy duty towing truck.

    The sector commander, while briefing reporters in his office  in Abeokuta, said the corps solicited support from the government and private sector.

    He said the vehicles would patrol Ijebu-Ode, Mowe and other critical corridors to ease traffic jam.

    Oladele said the corps was against excessive speeding, dangerous driving and overtaking, failure to use/install speed limit device, tyre violation, lane/route indiscipline, overloading,  wrongful overtaking , drivers licence violation, road obstruction, use of phone while driving, seat belt use violation, child safety and  passengers manifest, among others

    He debunked the rumour by commercial drivers /fleet operators that FRSC introduced the speed limiter to extort them and that the device will damage their vehicles and hinder  them from ascending hills.

    He said FRSC does not involve in sales/marketing of the devices, neither the Corps Marshal have any private link with the vendors. He said the accredited vendors were in charge of sale and calibration of the device and theirs is to enforce the installation and monitor to ensure no vendor install any sub-standard device into any vehicle.

    He said any vendor found violating the rules and regulations that guided the importation and installation of the device shall be sanctioned and his licence withdrawn.

  • Monarch hails FRSC’s efforts

    Monarch hails FRSC’s efforts

    The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, has hailed the Federal Government for approving the initiative of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on the installation of speed limiters in commercial vehicles.
    He spoke when inaugurating the road traffic cautionary signpost donated by the RS.2 Special Marshals of the Corps at Onipepeye, on Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
    The monarch thanked the FRSC for its efforts to reduce accidents, saying the cautionary signpost would remind motorists to reduce their speed and embark on defensive driving, as the area is accident prone.
    He said: “The Abeokuta- Sagamu Expressway is one of the major corridors linking Ogun State with the rest of the country. This road has claimed lives. We should not allow this ugly trend to continue.
    “In January 2008, Ogun State lost its Secretary to the State Government, Otunba Olumayowa Olukoya, in a road crash here at Onipepeye. Other personalities have also died on this expressway.
    “We must debunk the popular notion that crashes on this expressway have spiritual undertone. There are rumours that deities or spirits are responsible for the crashes recorded on this axis. This is false. The accidents are not unconnected with the speed of drivers, coupled with the condition of the road and the vehicles.’’
    The traditional ruler urged motorists to comply with the “slow down” warning on the signposts.
    The FRSC Ogun State Sector Commander, Clement Oladele, said the command through its special marshals erected the speed caution signposts at the Siun – Kobape blackspot to warn motorists and reduce crashes.
    He said the high rate of crashes on the Abeokuta – Sagamu expressway despite the relatively low traffic calls for concerted remedial efforts. The expressway accounted for 53 crashes and 10 deaths during the year 2016, most of the crashes took place between Siun and Kobape, he added.
    FRSC Boss Oladele appealed to other public hearted organisations to assist in erecting similar signposts in other crash prone areas in the State.
    He said FRSC has been fighting an age-long battle to eliminate speed and its associated crashes on Nigerian roads through public enlightenment, improvements in public literacy, heightened road safety awareness and enforcement of traffic laws since the establishment of the Corps in 1988.
    He said in 2016, a total of 270 persons died in the 383 crashes recorded in Ogun State. 1,366 others sustained various degrees of injuries and were rescued to various hospitals in the State. These figures represent a reduction in total crashes, fatalities and injuries respectively by 11%, 12% and 9%.

  • Breweries, FRSC partner on road safety

    Breweries, FRSC partner on road safety

    Major brewers in Nigeria, under the aegis of the Beer Sectoral Group (BSG) and the Federal  Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at promoting road safety and discipline by motorists in the country.

    At the event, which held in Lagos, FRSC’s Corps Marshal Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi said the Corps would not relax its stand against fleet operators, who were yet to install the speed limiter on their vehicles.

    He said the full enforcement of the device, which began in February, was aimed at promoting road safety culture and ensuring a reduction in the rate of fatal accidents on the nation’s roads

    He praised the group for its commitment to promoting responsible drinking culture in the country, adding that the MoU would expand the scope of intervention beyond the Corps relationship with individual members of the group as it hitherto does, especially during its “Ember months” campaigns.

    He expressed the hope that the new relationship with all the operators would strengthen the Corps’ capacity at curbing road accidents and enforcements aimed at ensuring that motorists become more disciplined and abide with traffic regulations.

    He said rather than limiting the safe driving and alcohol free campaigns to the Ember months, such can now be observed all year round, resulting in the coverage of more nooks and crannies in the six geo-political zones of the country.

    This is aside the support for the procurement of evidence-based alcohol testing equipment (breathalysers) and the regular calibration of same in line with the World Bank specifications and regulations in order to ensure regular on the spot testing of any motorist suspected to be driving under the influence of alcohol and other drug related infractions.

    As part of the MoU, Oyeyemi disclosed, the BSG will sponsor road traffic research, studies and surveys to upgrade Nigeria’s road safety database, supply calibrated breathalysers (breath testing/analysing equipments to the FRSC and facilitating traffic enforcement training for officials of the FRSC.

    He assured that the Corps will continue to partner all stakeholders to improve road safety and the driving culture in the country. “I am pleased that the BSG has also committed to resuming the Drive Alcohol Free (DAF) campaign in June 2017 in partnership with the FRSC. The Corps will be willing to recommend routes and locations where these would be carried out, while the BSG would provide information, education and communication (IEC) materials to the Corps Information and Education Unit.  My hope is that this occasion would lead to increased involvement of the private sector in ensuring that our roads become safer,” the Corps Marshal added.

    At the event, the BSG Chairman, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, said the group was happy collaborating with the FRSC in its onerous task of keeping the nation’s roads safe.

    He said: “We are happy to sign this MoU with the FRSC, which complements all the responsible drinking communication initiatives and ongoing partnerships of our individual member companies. This MoU is an opportunity to expand our working relationship with the FRSC, especially in the area of research and to support their enforcement of drink, driving laws as part of our ongoing engagement with other ministries, departments and agencies across Nigeria.”

  • Road crashes claims 270 persons Ogun — FRSC

    Road crashes claims 270 persons Ogun — FRSC

    The Ogun Sector Commander, Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Clement Oladele, said on Saturday that a total of 270 persons lost their lives in road traffic crashes in the state in 2016.

    Oladele announced this at the inauguration of road traffic cautionary sign posts at Onipepeye and Siun junction area of the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway in Ogun.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ceremony was performed by His
    Royal Majesty, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, CFR, the Alake of Egbaland.

    The FRSC sector commander said that of the 383 crashes recorded in Ogun in 2016, a total of 1,366 persons sustained various degrees of injuries and were taken to various hospitals for treatment.

    This figure, according to him, represented a reduction in total crashes, fatalities and injuries, by 11 per cent, 12 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively.

    He explained that it was in a bid to stem `speed-induced crashes’ that the command, through its Special Marshals unit, erected speed/caution signs at the Siun/Kobape black spot, to stem speeding and prevent avoidable crashes.

    Earlier, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, commended the efforts of the FRSC in reducing the tide of road crashes in the country.

    The Alake debunked the notion that crashes on the Abeokuta/Sagamu expressway had spiritual undertones.

    The paramout ruler of Egbaland urged motorists to comply with warning signs erected between Onipepeye and Siun junction, stressing that government’s initiative in installing the speed limiting device in commercial vehicles was for the common good of all

  • We are not involved in sale of speed limiting device – FRSC

    We are not involved in sale of speed limiting device – FRSC

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FSRC) has re-affirmed its position of non-involvement in the marketing of speed limiting devices for vehicles in the country.

    Spokesman of the agency, Mr Bisi Kazeem, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that accredited vendors were in charge of sale and calibration of the device.

    ‘’There are accredited vendors screened by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and FRSC.

    ‘’They are the ones in charge of sale and calibration of the speed limiting device, not the FRSC,’’ he said.

    Kazeem was reacting to Thursday’s move by the Senate to stop the ongoing enforcement of the installation of the speed limiting device on vehicles by the FRSC.

    The President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, had asked the Committee on Federal Character to look into the matter following a point of order raised by Sen. Dino Melaye (APC – Kogi West).

    Media reports quoted Melaye as saying “the proposal by the FRSC to sell speed limiting device to car owners’’ would cause further economic hardship for Nigerians.

    ‘’If you have two cars you buy two speed limiting devices. This is not the time to bring economic hardship upon the already traumatised people of this country.

    ‘’In every civilised part of the world, it is the responsibility of road safety authorities or agencies to mount speed limiting devices on roads, and when you beat this speed, they charge you.

    ‘’To ask individuals to purchase the speed limiting device from road safety is unacceptable and this is even not the time to do it,” Melaye was quoted as saying.

    The FRSC began full enforcement of the installation of the device, which costs N35, 000, on commercial vehicles on Feb. 1, and planned to extend it to other categories of vehicles in due course.

    Kazeem said introduction of the policy was within the mandate of the commission, noting that the enforcement began since Feb. 1, and not about to begin as stated by the senator.

    He added that the House of Representatives had earlier endorsed the policy after a public hearing.

  • 6,000 die from 10,000 road crashes in 2016, says FRSC

    Six thousand persons died from 10,000 road accidents recorded in 2016, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has declared.
    Ogun State Sector Commander Clement Oladele stated this at the 10th anniversary of Temidayo Ogan Child Safety and Support, TOCSS Foundation and premiere of a new movie on road safety ‘Amigas’ in Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend.
    Oladele also revealed that accident rate had gone down drastically in the country because of the pro-activeness of the Corps.
    On speed limit device, he said the FRSC had impounded about 5,700 vehicles in Ogun State in two months for not installing the devices in their vehicles.
    Oladele said the Corps normally arrests an average of 100 commercial vehicles per day since 1 February, 2017 when the speed limit enforcement commenced.
    He said the penalty for not having speed limit device was a fine of about N3, 000, saying that the FRSC was determined to enforce the law to the letter.
    Executive Director, TOCSS Foundation, Temidayo Ogan, said the foundation had been self-sustaining all through its 10 years of existence, as it had continued to grow in leaps and bounds.
    She charged parents and wards to ensure their children were strapped to seat belts or booster seats while driving.

  • Report corrupt officers, FRSC urges motorists

    Report corrupt officers, FRSC urges motorists

    The Itori, Ogun State, Unit Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Yahaya Aliyu, has warned motorists against offering bribes to the corps marshals on patrol.

    He said it was unpardonable for any driver to offer a bribe to Corps officers and for officers to receive it.

    Addressing newsmen in his office on Monday, Aliyu said the Corps was known for its integrity and had zero tolerance for corruption, thus any driver caught corrupting Corps officers would be prosecuted.

    He appealed to motorists to put their vehicles in good order with valid documents before embarking on any journey, “instead of bribing officers with the money they ought to have used for maintaining their vehicles.”

    Aliyu urged regular marshals to live within their income, work with the expectation of the Corps and rededicate themselves to save the lives of citizens.

    He said: “The constitutional mandate of the FRSC is to save lives, so they should rally the FRSC’s management to realise the mandate.”

    He appealed to them to avoid corrupt practices, saying anyone caught with any act that could tarnish the image of the Corps would be prosecuted.

    His Counterpart at Mowe Unit Command, Ganiyu Kehinde Hamzat, appealed to the media to support the Corps in fighting corrupt practices among marshals on the road.

    “The media should help provide information on any marshal caught receiving a bribe on the road, especially with pictorial evidence,” Hamzat said, adding that all officers have name tags on their uniforms.

  • FRSC boss calls for synergy among agencies

    FRSC boss calls for synergy among agencies

    The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, has called for synergy among security agencies to enhance the safety of passengers on the nation’s roads.

    Oyeyemi made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

    He made the call when he inspected the newly established road safety facilities along the Kaduna-Abuja highway on Wednesday.

    The facilities were set up to address anticipated road traffic challenges following the temporary closure of the Abuja International Airport and diversion of air traffic to the Kaduna Airport.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Abuja Airport was closed on Wednesday to pave way for reconstruction of its runway scheduled to last for six weeks.

    According to him, during the period, flights will be diverted to neighboring Kaduna Airport from where passengers to or from Abuja will travel by rail or road, aviation authorities said.
    Oyeyemi said that the synergy among relevant agencies was critical to ensuring the security of lives on the nation’s highways.

    He expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness of the corps to cope with the anticipated traffic upsurge on the route.

    Oyeyemi said with the level of sensitisation already given to the staff and the facilities deployed, he did not envisage any major challenges within the six weeks that the Abuja airport would remain closed.

    The corps marshal disclosed that the eight newly established outposts had brought the number of FRSC commands along the corridor to 21 with four ambulance points.

    He assured that the personnel who would work at the outposts had been appropriately deployed with relevant logistics, including patrol vehicles, towing trucks and ambulances.

    The corps marshal further stated that regular patrols would be intensified along the corridor, while mobile courts would be put in place to summarily try recalcitrant traffic offenders.

    Oyeyemi warned that lawlessness would not be tolerated in the area, he enjoined the staff to be highly civil and modest in handling their assignments.

    He urged the staff to work harder to prevent cases of overloading, lane indiscipline and route violation as well as speed violation which were rampart on the road.

    The corps marshal called on those operating the ambulance services to always remain at alert to respond promptly to distress calls from any part of the road.

    Oyeyemi commended the Federal Government for the provision of adequate facilities as evidenced by the rehabilitation of the road, urging the road users to make the best use of the facilities.

    He was accompanied by the Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone RS1 Headquarters Kaduna, Assistant Corps Marshal Bulus Darwang and some senior officers from the National Headquarters