The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FRSC

  • 337 killed on Kaduna roads in 8 months -FRSC

    No fewer than 337 persons have died in road crashes, while 1,528 sustained varying degrees of injury between January and August this year in Kaduna State.

    The casualty figures was contained in a report by the Kaduna Sector Command of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

    The report further analyzed that out of the total figure presented, Abuja-Kaduna road alone claimed 133 lives and 534 injured, Kano-Kaduna claimed 90 and injured 478 majorly involved Volkswagen Golf, Sharon and Opel Vetra vehicles.

    Using the reports to appeal to members of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) during the lunching ceremony of National Membership identity card of the union at the weekend in Kaduna, the Sector commander of FRSC, Olu Mike Olagunju said, though the figure was reduced when compared to last year’s where 405 people died within the same period under review, saying it was still unacceptable.

    According to him, “the situation is getting better. We achieved together, but not acceptable because we can do identity card only for the people that are alive. People should drive to be alive by keeping the rules of traffic. We need not to die out of negligence on our road.”

    Speaking on the purpose of the union’s national identity card, the state Chairman of NURTW, Alhaji Al-Hassan Haruna 313 Birnin-Gwari said, the card would help the union to validate membership database across the country especially now that the country is battling insecurity and everyone is a suspect.

    He added that apart from using the card for identification purpose, it could also be used for financial transactions just like normal Automated Teller Machine (ATM), to achieve this; he said the union was partnering with UBA, Union and Sky banks and Royal insurance company.

    He added that, “The union has being in front when it comes to safety campaign and sanctioning of any err member because we all want to live till old age. We shall continue to do our best and this is evident in our gathering today. As you can see, we invited the Police, FRSC and other agencies that we need to work with in order to collectively make our roads saver.”

  • FRSC: Ebola can’t stop us from attending to accident victims

    FRSC: Ebola can’t stop us from attending to accident victims

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has assured the public that the fear of the dreaded Ebola virus would not stop its officials from rescuing accident victims.

    The assurance is coming against the backdrop of a reported case of a hit-and-run victim, who was abandoned by health officials for fear of Ebola in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, on Monday. She died 21 hours later.

    The Public Education Officer of the FRSC, Mrs. Stella Uchegbu, who spoke with reporters in Abuja yesterday, affirmed the corps’ non-discriminatory policy in the handling of victims.

    She said: “Our officers on the highways and other roads across the country have been trained to handle accident victims, even those suspected of having communicable diseases, such as the Ebola virus.

    “Hundreds of our paramedics are undergoing training at medial facilities on how to rescue high risk accident victims without putting themselves at risk.

    “We have taken proactive measures by procuring protective equipment, such as face masks, hand gloves, sanitisers and other necessities. We cannot abandon accident victims just because of Ebola.

    “We assure the public, particularly road users that our officers will rescue accident victims, whether they are carrying communicable diseases or not.”

    Mrs. Uchegbu warned commercial drivers and commuters against overloading, saying Ebola and other communicable diseases could be contracted in overcrowded places.

  • Ebola can’t stop us from attending to accident victims – FRSC

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has assured members of the public that the fear of the dreaded Ebola virus would not stop its officials from rescuing accident victims on the highways.

    The assurance is coming against the backdrop of a reported case of a hit-and-run victim who was abandoned by health officials for fear of Ebola in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital on Monday.

    The victim died 21 hours after the incident.

    The Public Education Officer of the FRSC, Mrs. Stella Uchegbu, who spoke with reporters in Abuja on Wednesday, affirmed the Corps’ non-discriminatory policy in the handling of accident victims.

    Uchegbu said: “Our officers on the highways and other roads across the country have been adequately trained to handle accident victims, even those suspected of having communicable diseases such the Ebola virus.

    “Hundreds of our paramedics are currently undergoing training at various medical facilities on how to rescue high risk accident victims without putting themselves at risk.

    “We have taken proactive measures by procuring protective equipment like face masks, hand gloves, sanitisers and other necessities. So we cannot abandon accident victims just because of Ebola.

    “We wish to assure members of the public, particularly road users that our officers will continue to rescue accident victims, irrespective of whether they are carrying communicable diseases or not.”

    Uchegbu listed excessive speeding by motorists as a major factor in road accidents in the country and urged drivers to always be mindful of regulated speed limits on the highways.

    She also warned commercial drivers and commuters alike against overloading, saying Ebola and other communicable diseases can easily be contracted through such overcrowding.

     

  • FRSC urges motorists to adopt defensive driving

    FRSC urges motorists to adopt defensive driving

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) urged motorists  yesterday to embrace defensive driving in order to avoid errors that could cause road accidents during the ‘ember‘ months.

    FRSC Sector Commander in Anambra Mr Sunday Ajayi gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha, Anambra after a stakeholders’ meeting.

    The meeting was organised by the commission to enable stakeholders work out ways to tackle traffic congestion and wrong parking on major roads.

    “For the ‘ember‘ months, I want to draw attention to the fact that Onitsha is strategic to us because of its activities and the strategic route as well.

    “I would want to let people know that ‘ember‘ months is just like any other month; the only difference is that people tend to do more business to make more money and enjoy their holidays during the Yuletide.

    “And because of this, there is a lot of indiscipline that comes with it; if road users obey instruction and not jump lanes; if road users don’t overload; if they use their seat belts; if they don’t over speed; if they maintain their vehicles and don’t drink alcohol while driving, there will be no problem.

    “So, what we are saying is that we want people to begin to have that culture of safety; road safety is not a chance (accidental development), it is something you have to consistently work for.“

     

     

    Ajayi thanked the stakeholders for their support to the commission over the years, saying that their backing helped to safeguard the lives of Nigerians on the road.

    He called for greater collaboration with other segments of the society and appealed to the public to always provide prompt information to men and officers of the corps to enable them to carry out their mandate of ensuring the safety of lives on the road.

     

  • FRSC: How to know a good tyre

    TO reduce road crashes during the “Ember” months, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ota Unit Command, and Shell Nigeria Gas Plc, have trained commercial drivers operating in Ota, Ogun State.

    The drivers and vehicle owners were taught the vital things to look out for while buying tyres.

    FRSC’s Unit Commander, Mr Sunday Omafu, said most fatal accidents could have been averted if vehicle owners had bought good tyres.

    According to him, research showed that 15 per cent of reported crashes in the country were traceable to tyre-related defects.

    Tyres, Omafu said, were an important component in any vehicle as it is the only link between the driver and the road.

    Most vehicle owners, he said, consulted vulcanisers who are not literate while buying tyres.

    He said: “An average vulcaniser gauges a ‘good’ tyre by neatness, bouncing  it on the ground. They never consider the tyre’s manufacturing and expiring dates and its effectiveness on the road. They have no knowledge of tyre  temperature, pressure, speed limit, wearing, bar rate and loading index among others.”

    Omafu  advised vehicle owners to check the manufacturing and expiring dates of any tyre before buying it, adding that the manufacturing and expiry dates are the four- digit code inscribed on the sidewall of the tyre.

    Also to be noted, Omafu said, is the “traction rating”, which is the ability of the tyre to stop easily, on a wet or dry pavement. This, he said, are usually coded AA, A, B, or C, adding that the higher the rating, the better the traction.

    He urged buyers to be wary of common tyre defects such as bead fracture (tyre bulge), as this can result in sudden burst.

    The Zonal Matron, Mrs  Appolonia Ngozi Uzor, charged drivers to observe regular health check.

    She noted that a driver who fails to check his health status is an accident waiting to happen, adding that research has shown that drivers hardly bother to conduct a health check.

    Mrs Uzor said: “We have observed that a lot of these drivers have high blood pressure, which is not good. Many of them do not take care of their health but are only interested in making money.

    “They neither maintain their vehicles nor take proper care of their health. This is responsible for most crashes on the road because poor health management affects drivers’ judgment on the road.”

    The Zonal Public Education Officer, Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide, who spoke on road signs, urged drivers to adhere to road signs at all times, especially during the coming “Ember”months.

    “Ember months are the period characterised by hasty travels, which increase human and vehicular traffic.

    “There is no juju or blood-sucking spirits on the roads, the high rate of accidents are caused by reckless driving,” he said.

    He urged the road users to “show the highest sense of discipline and avoid flouting traffic rules and regulations”.

    According to him, drivers should desist from excessive speeding, overloading, wrong overtaking, use of phones while driving, drunk driving and always be 15 metres away from the vehicle ahead of them.

    The Itori Unit Commander, Mr Bakare Fatai Adesina and Unit Coordinator of Isaka/Igbala Special Marshal, Mr Samuel Ajayi, enjoined motorists to guard against bad driving that causes crashes.

    Ajayi urged Okada riders to always ensure they use helmets and avoid overloading in the name of making money.

  • Couple, children die in auto crash

    Couple, children die in auto crash

    A man identified as Jabari Adewale, his wife and their two children reportedly lost their lives in a motor accident on Owo-Ikare Expressway at Ago Eleye, near Oba Akoko at the weekend.

    The accident occurred when the car conveying the deceased collided with a truck parked by the roadside, killing all the occupants instantly .

    It was gathered that the late couple and their two children were travelling to their village on the fateful day when the incident occurred.

    A Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. David Ogundana, said the accident was as a result of dangerous driving and loss of control by the car’s driver.

    He added that those involved in the crash included two male adults, one female adult and four female children.

    He said the deceased family were driving a Toyota Camry vehicle with registration number AP 208 FDD, which rammed into a truck marked LSD 547XE.

  • Ebola: FRSC distributes protective gears to officers

    THe Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has provided its officers with protective tools to protect them from the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

    Corps Marshal and Chief Executive Boboye Oyeyemi who stated this in Abuja, said such measures were aimed at protecting them.

    He said protective tools such as sanitisers, gloves, nose guards, clinic gowns and others were provided for the officers because they are usually in contact with people in the course of their duty.

    Oyeyemi, who spoke at a strategic session with commanding officers at the COMASE Training Hall of FRSC, said: “The Corps’ operatives are in constant contact with victims of road crashes. We equally provide medical services to members of the public at all our road side clinics on strategic highways; hence the need to provide these gears for our men in order to safe guard them from unforeseen circumstances especially the raging Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).”

    Oyeyemi said the training and strategic session was informed by the need for the Corps to appraise and strengthen its policies as the countdown to the end of 2014 begins. He said the session is a platform to evaluate the Corps’ projections and activities to achieve set goals.

    “We are looking to further strengthen our policies that we have been working on. And as we are moving towards the end of the year, there is need for us to appraise the level of patrol operations and the crashes, to be able to take important policy decisions so as to move forward to achieve the goals set for the year. In addition, we are aware of the risk our personnel are involved in both in office and especially during rescue operations on the highway. The essence of this is safeguarding our personnel against contracting the Ebola virus while on duty.”

    The management would be providing the necessary tools such as sanitisers, the gloves, the gabs, everything required. And also our clinics especially the roadside clinics we have already provided protective gabs for them so that when they have contact with members of the public they are protected, because during rescue operations, during removal of obstructions we do have contacts with other people so we must ensure that we protect our personnel which is critical,” he said.

  • FRSC says pensions going smoothly

    FRSC says pensions going smoothly

    Pensioners of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) under the old pension scheme, the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) are being paid their pensions, gratuities and other benefit  as and when due, Deputy Corp Marshall, Admin and Human Resources, Chidi Nwachukwu, has said.

    Nwachukwu made this known to  The Nation while talking about the welfare of its pensioners. He said the Commission has produced 166 pensioners since its inception under the old pension scheme.

    He said: “The Commission adopts best practices in all of its action. We have a nominal roll of all our pensioners as obtained in some other agencies and parastatals of the government.

    “We have 166 pensioners and we do not have any arrears of gratuity and others, and our Board of Trustees meet quarterly.”

  • FRSC redeploys senior officers

    FRSC redeploys senior officers

    The Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, has approved the redeployment of 55 senior officers, comprising two Deputy Corps Marshals, 11 Assistant Corps Marshals and 42 Corps Commanders.

    Outgoing Deputy Corps Public Education Officer Bisi Kazeem said the recent exercise was part of a general redeployment of senior officers of the corps.

    Among the Deputy Corps Marshals was Ojeme Ewhudjakpor, who was at Gwagwalada as Zonal Commanding Officer and redeployed as the Head of the Special Marshals and Partnership Department at the national headquarters in Abuja.

    The former Zonal Commanding Officer in Kaduna, Deputy Corps Marshal Charles Theophilus, has been moved to the national headquarters as Head of the Motor Vehicle Administration Department.

    Out of the 11 Assistant Corps Marshals who were redeployed, former Principal Staff Officer to the Corps Marshal, Julius Asom (Assistant Corps Marshal) has been appointed as the Special Assistant to the Corps Marshal while Assistant Corps Marshal Nwaka Agnes, has been appointed as the Head of the Corps Procurement Office.

    Still on the redeployment, the former Corps Project Implementation Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Kenneth Nwaegbe has been moved to the FRSC Academy at Udi in Enugu as Commandant while the former Corps Provost Officer, Shehu Zaki is now at the national headquarters as Assistant Corps Marshal, Special Marshals and Partnership.

    Among the 5 new Zonal Commanding Officers was Assistant Corps Marshal Jonas Agwu, the former Corps Public Education Officer, who has also been redeployed to Gwagwalada as the Zonal Commanding Officer.

    Other Zonal Commanding Officers include Assistant Corps Marshal Victor Nwokolo, who has been moved from the Special Marshal and Partnership Department to Kaduna as Zonal Commanding Officer while former Sector Commander of Oyo State Sector Command, Assistant Corps Marshal Ogagaoghene Godwin, is now the Zonal Commanding Officer in Lagos. Former Head of Manpower Development Section, Assistant Corps Marshal Samuel Obayemi, is now in Enugu as Zonal Commanding Officer.

    Also on the redeployment was the former Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Corps Commander Bisi Kazeem, who is now the Head of the Sports Section under the Training, Standards and Certification Department at the national Headquarters in Abuja while the former Head of SERVICOM Office, Corps Commander Stella Uchegbu,  has been appointed the first female Corps Public Education Officer.

    Among the newly appointed Sector Commanders was Corps Commander Hyginus Omeje who has been moved from Anambra to Lagos state while Corps Commander Ibrahim Guntu was moved as Head of Unit from the Operations Department to Katsina state as Sector Commander.

    The three number plate plants also witnessed some changes as the former Deputy Commandant of the FRSC Academy, Corps Commander Ayodele Jegede has been moved to Gwagwalada as Head of the number plate plant while former Sector Commander of Abia state Sector Command, Corps Commander Anthony Oko, moves over to Lagos as Head of the number plate plant.

    Also, Corps Commander Iliyasu Usman who was former Head of Unit at the Awka number plate plant, is now Head of the plant at Awka in Anambra state.

    All the new appointments will take immediate effect.

     

     

     

  • FRSC’s legal rascality

    FRSC’s legal rascality

    • Although the commission reversed itself, it should have waited for the outcome of its appeal on the new number plates before taking any action on the matter

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has exhibited extreme rascality in its attempt to circumvent the unambiguous judgments of the Federal High Courts, sitting in Lagos and Abuja, stopping it from surreptitiously imposing tax on motorists without appropriate legislation. Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Lagos, in March, held that the steps the FRSC sought to take on enforcing the so-called new number plates, “amounts to an arbitrary use of power and is therefore illegal and unconstitutional”. On his part, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, also of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in May, affirmed that the commission’s planned action is “tantamount to executive recklessness, as the FRSC cannot amend an act of the National Assembly or promulgate another one”.

    However, in a glaring case of abuse of court processes, the FRSC who were parties in the two suits at the Federal High Courts in Lagos and Abuja, which had the same subject matter, failed to bring to the notice of the State High Court in Anambra, the judgments of the two courts, which had declared the action of the commission, as illegal. Thus, Justice Philip Umeadi, the state chief judge, in June, held “that the directive of the respondent (FRSC) to all motorists previously registered to e-register their vehicles for the purpose of changing their old number plates with new vehicle number plate is legal, constitutional and stand firmly on both Act 2007 and Regulations of 2012”. Notably, the Federal High Court, Abuja, recognised the judgment of the sister court in Lagos, when it held that, “the court is mindful of the recent judgment of a Lagos Federal High Court on the same subject matter, which I completely aligned with”. Unfortunately, the state high court, Anambra, did not make any reference to the judgments of the federal High Court.

    We hold the FRSC responsible for the embarrassment to the state high court in Anambra, whose judgment cannot overrule the earlier judgments of the two federal High Courts. Indeed, it will not be far-fetched to question whether the commission orchestrated the conflict, as it has quickly said that it will obey the judgment of the state high court, implying that it will ignore that of the two federal high courts; even when the FRSC is a federal agency and the laws interpreted, federal laws.

    Even more appalling is that while the commission has appealed the two earlier unfavourable judgments, it is courageous enough to say that it will start the enforcement of the one favourable judgment, all of which is the subject matter of an appeal it filed before the Court of Appeal. Mercifully, it has reversed itself. But the point is that such a situation should not have arisen in the first place.

    We call on the Attorney-General of the Federation to call the commission to order. The alternative is for motorists to also choose and pick which of the judgments to obey, and that is the road to anarchy. The FRSC must be told in clear and unambiguous terms that it cannot pursue this type of wayward agenda in a society that is governed by the rule of law. It must know that it lacks the power to pick and choose which order of the court it will obey, and which it will disregard. If it is determined to raise funds for the Federal Government, it must wait for the judgments made against it to be vacated on appeal.