…ensuring safe roads remains priority – Shettima
The federal government has urged the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other critical stakeholders to recommit themselves to the full implementation of the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy, as part of efforts to curb the alarming rate of road accidents across the country.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the 8th Annual Lecture Series of the FRSC, lamented the troubling statistics on road fatalities, stressing that the challenge requires collective and sustained action.
He implored stakeholders in government and the private sector to pursue indigenous solutions, while collaborating with global partners in the bid to ensure safer roads across the country.
According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said, “I commend the leadership of the FRSC for the vigour and innovation with which you have pursued this cause. But let me add a note of caution: we do not yet have the luxury to celebrate. The road ahead remains long and demanding.
“Much work still lies before us, and we must draw from both our indigenous solutions and effective collaborations with global partners to achieve our objectives,” the Vice President said.
Noting that, “Nigeria still faces significant road safety challenges, with recent statistics revealing a troubling record of deaths on our roads,” VP Shettima pointed out that the duty of keeping the roads safe is a collective task that cannot be done in isolation, even as he called for a recommitment to implementing the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy.
“We must recommit ourselves to implementing the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy. We must ensure that all tiers of government, the private sector, and other stakeholders, including Non-Governmental Organisations, are fully engaged in road safety activities. Only through such shared responsibility can we guarantee sustainable outcomes,” he maintained.
In his capacity as Chairman of the National Road Safety Advisory Council (NaRSAC), the VP reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s pledge “to make the vision of the National Road Safety Strategy a reality is never relegated.”
He noted that the Annual Lecture Series is a platform of accountability and reflection that offers the opportunity to make amends by comparing indigenous solutions and results with the best practices from around the world, emphasising that “strategic engagements and activities such as this serve as our vehicle towards that goal.”
The Vice President applauded efforts of the FRSC, saying the Corps has produced refined minds whose insights enrich the nation’s “quest for safer roads,” even as he observed that “the theme of this year’s edition speaks not only to the FRSC’s resolve to keep reinventing itself but also to its alignment with global standards in road safety management.”
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Acknowledging results achieved so far, he stated, “Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this administration has made it a priority to enable critical Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to function to public expectation.
“In its thirty-seven years of existence, the FRSC has demonstrated the promise, the potential, and the practice of prioritising safety and securing the lives and property of road users.
“The federal government has also shown its commitment to this mission through massive infrastructure development, consistent road maintenance, and the expansion of our highway networks.”
Earlier, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, stated that the FRSC annual lecture series tradition has metamorphosed into a platform for dialogue on effective road safety and transportation management.
He said while Nigeria faces urbanization, there is a need to embrace new partnerships while strengthening local systems “to protect the lives of our people.”
The SGF pointed out that “Road Safety is not merely a transport issue but a national development priority,” adding that it promotes social well-being.
He said even though the FRSC is appreciated and recognized for its tireless work, “much remains to be done,” even as he assured that the “Federal Government is committed to doing more” for the institution’s efficiency and effectiveness.
Among other government interventions, he said the Tinubu administration will support the FRSC with capacity building and interagency coordination, adding, however, that the responsibility for safer roads in Nigeria rests on all Nigerians and residents.
On his part, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, said the purpose of the lecture series was to share perspectives on road safety management in Nigeria in view of emerging global challenges.
Mohammed expressed optimism that the event would provide critical insight towards achieving road safety management objectives across Nigeria.
He appreciated the physical presence of Vice President Shettima at the event, noting that it further affirmed the commitment of the Tinubu administration in road safety management as an imperative for national development and a critical component of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Road Safety Management and Emerging Transportation Trends: Global Partnership for Optimal Performance’, the Executive Director of the London- based, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Foundation, Mr Saul Billingsley, acknowledged the influence of the FRSC’s leadership, noting that “it is very well appreciated and recognized across the world.”
He emphasized that the FRSC now serves as a key player in the global road safety community.
Also, anchor of the panel session and former Corp Marshall, Chief Osita Chidoka, said the current challenge of road safety is channelling the global framework into Nigerian reality, especially in a country where motor-cycle account for almost half of all road fatalities and well rapid organizations are shaping travel patterns.
According to him, the discussants brought voices from security, justice, technology, law and academia and each has a critical role to play in the system to make the Nigerian roads safer, smarter and secured.
Other discussants drawn from the office of the Chief of Defence Staff, Court of Appeal, Nigerian Bar Association, University of Abuja, and Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, committed to participating in a shared responsibility for effective road safety management in Nigeria.
The event also had in attendance the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Transportation, Senator Sa’id Ahmed Alkali; Chairman, Governing Board, Federal Mortgage Bank, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna; Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli; President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN; President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, represented by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, and Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Matthew Adamu, among others.
