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Tag: TRACE

  • Amosun pledges support for TRACE

    The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has commended the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), for its outstanding performance in managing the traffic situation across the state’s roads since its inception.

    Governor Amosun gave this commendation through Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa, at an event to launch Officers’ Mess Kit and uniform, TRACE Officers’ Wives Association (TROWA) and the retirement of the out-going Corps Commander in Abeokuta.

    He said TRACE in the last 10 years has been able to justify the purpose of its establishment through efficient service delivery with reference to the mandate given to the agency.

    According to Amosun, the Corps has been able to proof its worth and displayed professionalism through the efforts of the Corps Commander, thereby drawing  the interest of the government to the Corps.

    He said the state government would not relent from supporting the Corps and ensure that all needed working tools with the modern technologies are provided to enhance their effective and efficient performances in the course of carrying out their operations.

    The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Transportation, Gbenga Opesanwo in his remark hailed the outgoing Corps Commander Ayodele Sangofadeji for his passion for the job and his unrelented interest in the welfare of his staff.

    He urged the Corps members to build on the foundation he laid to ensure the Corps attain its goal in the enviable height of comity of traffic management outfit. He said their choice is to build upon it and ensure that the house that was built with lots of toiling do not crumble” he said.

    Opesanwo, urged the officers to work hard to enable the Corps attain the best among other other traffic management agencies, not only in the state but in Nigeria as a whole.

    The outgoing Commander in his response appreciated God for his achievement in the Corps and for seeing him through all the challenges in the course of discharging the duty.

    He said all he stood for and was leaving behind was professionalism, urging the officers to continue in this trend, giving the assurance of his support even after retirement at 60 years and advises the officers to always work with love and unity and always be discipline while on duty.

    He urged them to  shun corruption, harassment, improper dressing and be of good manner while at their duty post.

    Sagofadeji was eulogized by many guests present at the occasion, among who were: his wife, Mrs Abosede Ogunfadeji, who described him as a man and a father in a millions.

    The Ogun State Parking Management Scheme’s Chief Consultant, Engr Wale Yusuf, described the former TRACE boss as a diligent and transparency and accountable man. He said Sangofadeji was highly efficient and worked  without stress  while on duty.

    Yusuf appealed to Sangofadeji remain a public servant despite him bowing out from official service. He urged him to cooperate with his successor for the Corps to attain its aim and objectives.

  • TRACE holds retreat for senior staff

    TRACE holds retreat for senior staff

    The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) has held a retreat for its senior officers with the aim of reviewing road safety strategies to improve on their performances.

    The one-day event, tagged, “The journey so far” was organised by the Corps to mark its 10th anniversary and to rebuild officers on ways of tackling road lawlessness, leading to crashes within the state.

    The Retreat Anniversary Committee Chairman, Commander Omonayajo Elias Adedayo, quoting the United Nation (UN), said 1.24 million people die yearly from road crashes while 50 millions are injured . He said 90 per cent of road deaths occur in low and middle income countries, adding that road  injuries are among the leading causes of deaths in the world.

    According to him, TRACE, which was established by the State House of Assembly on March 9, 2005 and amended Law of September 25, 2007, has the responsibility to provide solutions to the incessant crashes with the three levels of road safety management to the citizens of the state.

    The Corps Commander/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Ayo Sangofadeji, said the retreat was aimed at building a reliable framework for the Corps’ on public education and communication management. He noted that it was also a capacity building exercise for the senior officers to ensure the effective control and management of the public.

    The event, according to Sangofadeji, as a training opportunity for the officers, adding that TRACE is not about enforcement alone, but also to take stock of qualitative advocacy to prevent tragic occurrences on our roads.

    He urged the officers to improve on public enlightenment, rescue activities, staff training/performances and operations. He said this would enhance the Corps’ achievement in its strategic goals.

    Sangofadeji appealed to senior officers to lead well and create good working relationship among their subordinates. He said every officer must ensure they work harder with high level of discipline, passion driven, integrity and maintain both internal and external  espirit-de-corps.

  • 87, 853 traffic offenders held in Ogun

    The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) has apprehended no fewer than 87,853 traffic offenders with various offences in 10 years, its Commander/Chief Executive Officer, Ayo Sangofadeji has said.

    Taking stock of TRACE’s achievements in its first decade of existence, Sangofadeji said the offences included riding motorcycle without safety helmet, driving without safety belt, using mobile phones while driving, illegal parking and overloading.

    The offenders, he said, were fined and also counselled before their vehicles or motorcycles were released to them.

    Sangofadeji said TRACE started with public enlightenment and orientation of road users on how best the road can be used, and the need to comply with safety rules before embarking on enforcement.

    The TRACE boss, who spoke with reporters in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said the government is committed to a technology-driven traffic management by installing modern devices on the roads.

    Some of the devices according to Sangofadeji, are Close Circuit Television (CCTV), radar gun, speed detector among others.

    These, he said, were being installed to enhance compliance with safety rules and to bring erring motorists to book.

    TRACE, the commander said, would not relent in retraining its officers on modern road safety management.

    Sangofadeji added that TRACE will continue to champion road user-friendly education and enforce traffic regulations in the years ahead.

  • TRACE decorates new officers

    TRACE decorates new officers

    No fewer than 83 officers of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), were last week promoted and decorated with new ranks at the Corps Headquarters, Abeokuta, the state capital.

    The officers promoted to the rank of directors were: Director, Traffic Training and Public Education, Commander Sola Bamidele, Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Commander Babatunde Michael Ajayi and Director, Finance and Account, Commander Ijiola Aliu.

    Speaking at the ceremony to mark the officers’ elevation, the Commander/Chief Executive Officer of the Corps, Commander Ayo Sangofadeji said their promotion was a reflection of their hard work and commitment to their assigned duties, while imploring them not to rest on their oars.

    Sangofadeji, while expressing delight at the decoration exercise, maintained that their ranks came with more responsibilities, loyalty and dedication to duties. He said ‘’A journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. Your promotion, although is a thing of joy, has given you more responsibilities. If you think you will have more freedom at the top, the reverse is the case.

    “Those at the lower ranks even have more freedom than those at the top. You deserve to be promoted as such; I implore you not to rest on your oars, as there is more work to be done. You have to open your eyes, you don’t have to sleep so that we can deliver the job assigned to us”, he said.

    Sangofadeji advised the officers to be more effective and efficient at their duty post to ensure that safety is guaranteed and to always respect their uniforms wherever they may go. He urged them to ensure that they lead well and show good example to their junior officers. He also urged the officers who are yet to be promoted to continue work harder, be prayerful, diligent and dedicated to duty, believing that one day it will be their turn. He said no sentiment was permitted in the promotion process.

    The Chairman, TRACE Board, Chief (Major) S. O. Adejinmi (rtd), while felicitating with the officers on their new ranks, urged them to improve their quality advice, quality of comradeship, quality of companionship that would enable the agency surmount the challenges vested in it. He warned them to remember that “victory has a thousand fathers while failure is an orphan.”

    Continuing, he said “At this rank, ego should be your biggest challenge. I expect you at this level to be peacemakers. The road to the next promotion begins today, which means you have to be impeccable in actions and avoid mistakes and all forms of indiscipline that could tarnish the image of the Corps. Remember that you are the ambassador of the Corps anywhere, anyday, he said.

    The Ogun State Senior Special Assistant on Transportation, Mr Gbenga Opesanwo, also felicitated with the newly promoted officers, advising them to be more committed to their duties and also take care of their families.

    While advising the road users to obey traffic rules and regulations, he said safety on the roads is not the responsibility of the corps alone, but also individuals’ responsibilities. He added that government was committed to constructing modern traffic lights across the state to enhance the corps’ efforts to curb the lawlessness on the roads. He appealed to all road users to cooperate with the traffic managers to ensure end to road crashes within and outside the state so that lives and properties lost on a daily basis can be saved for development and posterity.

    The newly decorated senior commanding officers were: Commander Adedayo Omonayajo, Commander Abayomi Ajibose, Commander Taiwo Ajala, Commander Adekunle Rosanwo, Commander Adekunle Ajibade, Commander Teslim Adedeji, Commander Olabode Abdul, Commander David Abiola, Commander Morolake Filani, Commander Akinkunmi Ebunoluwa, Commander Lawal Umoru, Commander Kazeem Temitayo and Commander Surajudeen Olukoga.

    And the superintendent officers were: Azeez Popoola, Adesina Ayodeji, Olajumoke Adeyeye, Waheed Kareem, Adeola Monayajo, Adekunle Awonowo, Peter Oridota, Mary Ogunkile, Rotimi Adenaike, Olubunmi Akano, Iyabo Odebudo, Temitayo Odejoke, Seye Oguntula, Rufus Oyejimi, Bisi Odidi, Olumide Amusan and Oyetayo Otukoya, among others.

    Dignitaries at the event include: Director of Service Matters, Mr. Adebowale Oyetola Oyeneye, General Manager, Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, Engr. Tunde Awolana, General Manager, Ogun State Parks and Garages Development Board, Alhaji Ayo Ogunsolu, Chairperson, TRACE Officers’ Wives Association (TROWA) Mrs Bosede Sangofadeji, Director, Cassava Revolution, Mrs Jokotoye Kehinde among others.

     

  • TRACE boss advises motorists

    The Zone II Commander, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) Adekunle Ajibade yesterday appealed to motorists and commercial cyclists to maintain lower speed while moving on the newly constructed Ilo-Awele Road in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, or find alternative route to their destinations.

    He said this following an accident on the new road, involving a tanker with registration number GGE 663 XM, which emptied 33,000 litres of diesel from the vehicle.

    The truck, according to Ajibade, lost control due to over- speeding and somersaulted while trying to enter the Ilo Awela Road.

  • TRACE warns motorists against excessive speeding

    TRACE warns motorists against excessive speeding

    The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), has embarked on public education/enlightenment campaign in all motor parks and garages in continuation of the safety exercises.

    The programme was organised to remind road users of the need to always be safety conscious while using the roads.

    The exercise featured songs and drama presentations in different ethnic languages such as Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and Egun, apart from presenting it in the English language. This, the organisers said, aimed at passing the safety messages across to all road users in the languages they would understand, in order to minimise incessant crashes on our roads.

    Speaking at Sango garage, the Ado-Odo/Ota Zone II Commanding Officer, Commander Adekunle Ajibade, said the need to organise the event was to sensitise the road users against all forms of indiscipline that are causes of crashes on the roads.

    He said motorists are expected to imbibe the defensive driving culture, adding that drivers must be able to see dangers ahead and quickly apply wisdom in order to prevent accident from occurring.

    He warned road users to avoid night travels, saying it causes accidents due to lack of adequate concentration on the part of the drivers who may not have had enough rests before embarking on any long journey.

    Mr. Ajibade also warned motorists against over-speeding, which he said thrills but kills. He urged drivers to shun making or receiving calls while driving, wrong/dangerous overtaking and drink and drive.

    Contributing, the Corps Commander/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Corps Commander Ayo Sangofadeji, who was represented by the Director of Operations, Prince Olaseni Ogunyemi, said there is the need to be safety conscious by all road users at all times. He said it is one of the steps necessary to reduce crashes on the roads.

    He said TRACE is committed to checkmating and controlling road traffic problems within the state in order to ensure significant reduction in road crashes.

    He urged motorists to change their attitude on the use of roads, adding that both motorists and pedestrians should strictly obey traffic rules and regulations. Sangofadeji warned against hazardous/illegal parking, as the Corps will no longer tolerate picking and dropping of passengers in any unauthorised bus stop. He also warned motorcycle operators not to disregard the use of crash helmets, even as he said carrying of more than one passenger, especially a pregnant woman and children, is a serious traffic offence.

    He admonished traders/hawkers along the expressway to evacuate and relocate to a safer environment to give way for free-flow of human and vehicular movements.

    At Ita Oshin Motor Park, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Transportation, Mr Gbenga Opesanwo, urged road users to always be mindful of safety while using the roads.

    He said: “All road users, be it pedestrians, cyclists/tricyclists, drivers or passengers must think safety first whether on inter or intra-roads.”

    He further said every individual that uses the road should cultivate good safety culture and always consider other road users. This will make the roads safe for all.

    He warned motorists against the use of mystical powers as it would not guarantee safety on the roads. Drivers should shun undisciplined behaviours, such as over-loading, over-speeding, making or receiving calls while driving, violent behaviour and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs that could cause accidents.

    The Ogun State Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO) Bayo Otuyemi warned against any distractions that could lead to crashes while driving.

    He urged them to always ensure that their vehicles are in good condition before embarking on a journey, saying that drivers should co-operate and support traffic managers in a bid to ensure safety on the roads.

  • Agony as 78-yr-old disappears without trace

    Agony as 78-yr-old disappears without trace

    Three weeks after 78-year-old Chief Gbadamosi Fakoya disappeared from his residence in Soyindo area of Sagamu, Ogun State, his whereabouts still remain a mystery.

    The septuagenarian was said to have left home for an undisclosed location at about 4pm three Thursdays ago but has not returned home.

    Chief Fakoya was said to have dressed up on the fateful day for an unknown destination. Those who saw him while leaving his compound thought he wanted to take a stroll, without knowing that he would not return home.

    Family sources said the missing septuagenarian is a traditionalist and a devotee of the Agemo deity.

    “Baba (Fakoya) does not leave home anyhow. He only goes to his farm in Iperu and doesn’t like attending parties or social gathering at all. We have launched a search party for him but our effort has not yielded any fruit. We have also taken his photograph to some police stations in Sagamu Local Government, all to no avail, said a source who spoke in confidence. It was gathered that the family had also sought the help of men of a local vigilance group in Sagamu, in their quest to find their missing patriarch.

    The group, it was gathered, spread its searchlight on Pa Fakoya’s whereabouts to Ijebu and Ibadan, but their intervention has not produced positive result to date. For information on the whereabouts of Pa Fakoya, his distraught family can be reached on 08036971105.

  • Agency to reduce accidents

    The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) is committed to reducing fatal road crashes this December, the Corps’ Commander, Ayo Sangofadeji, has said.

    He spoke with reporters on this year’s accident-free day at the Corps’ headquarters in Abeokuta, the state capital.

    Sangofadeji said the corps would intensify efforts on its public enlightenment programmes especially at motor parks across the state and bring erring motorists to book.

    “Our goal this year is to ensure reduction in road traffic accident compared to 2013. We will intensify efforts by way of enlightenment and strong enforcement,” he said.

    The Corps, he said, is determined to prove a point to members of the public that ‘Ember’ month does not kill. He noted that what kills is poor driving attitude which needed to be addressed by ensuring total compliance to safety rules and regulations.

    Speaking on the role of passengers, the TRACE chief, advised them to be at alert at all times, watch drivers’ attitude, and manner of driving and report any behaviour contrary to safety of lives to the appropriate authority.

    He said: “We have one driver to many passengers in a vehicle; one person should not be allowed to negatively dictate where the journey of the others would end.”

  • ‘Be disciplined behind wheels’

    ‘Be disciplined behind wheels’

    The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) has urged road users to shun  indiscipline.

    The Zone II Commanding Officer, Kunle Ajibade, gave the advice while controlling traffic on the Idiroko/Ota Road.

    He said 80 per cent of road users contravene traffic rules and regulations. Ajibade said: “TRACE would not condone flagrant flouting of traffic rules and regulations on Ogun State roads.

    “We’ll work with other road management agencies in obliterating the ‘mortuary state’ tag for which Ogun State has been known.

    “I appeal to pedestrians to always cross the roads at points where there are Zebra crossings, traffic signals, subway and pedestrian bridges. Where such facilities do not exist, look for a safe point where you will cross the roads.

    “Walk on the left side of the road facing oncoming vehicles, where footpaths are not provided.

    “While crossing wide roads that have central islands, always cross in two stages. Cross to the central island then stop and cross when the next section is clear.  “Where there are no pedestrian crossings, watch the traffic on both sides and cross when it is safe to do so; look to your left and right and left again then cross if the road is clear.”

     

  • Agency pledges more collaboration for road safety

    In furtherance of its zero tolerance for road crashes, the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), has pledged to collaborate with other traffic agencies in ensuring that roads, within the state are policed. The agency said traffic offenders would also be promptly punished especially during this ‘Ember’ months.

    The pledge was made by the TRACE’s Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone II, Ado-Odo/Ota, Commander Kunle Ajibade while speaking with The Nation in his office.

    He said the state more popularly known as the ‘Gateway State’ records heavy casualities especially along its borders with neighbouring states, due to the massive influx of vehicles on the roads.

    According to him before the creation of TRACE, Ogun State records high fatality rate, which attract to it the name; “mortuary state.”

    Ajibade said the coming on board of TRACE as a traffic compliance agency, in collaboration with other security/road traffic agencies, has  reduced accidents as it has organised several campaigns and workshops for drivers.

    The agency, he said, will not relent in its effort  to make Ogun State roads accident-free.

    He advised road users to maintain road discipline and obey traffic rules and regulations while on the wheels, adding that life has no duplicate and that whoever arrives safely is a good driver.

    He warned against driving under the influence of alcohol,  overloading, high speed, phoning while driving, all of which are major causes of crashes on the road.

    Ajibade said TRACE will continue to impound any vehicle found violating traffic laws.

    He praised the Ogun State government for embarking on the construction and renovation of several roads which, according to him, have reduced the number of crashes in the state.