The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has disclosed that Nigeria has lost a total of 344,366 to road accidents, since she gained her independence in 1960.
The Corps Marshal of FRSC, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi who disclosed this in Port Harcourt during the 2015 Mega Rally organized by the State Command of the corps also urged drivers to drive responsibly and diligently.
Oyeyemi who was represented by the Deputy Corps Marshal (DCM) Adei Abu at the rally with the theme “Operation Sanity Drive to Stay Alive” also stated that: “Nigeria currently has the largest road network in West Africa and the second largest South of the Sahara.”
This has made the country to have large concentration of cars with land transportation being responsible for about 90% of haulage and passengers movement.
The FRSC boss also observed that this situation “has impaired on us with attendant loss of man-hours due to traffic grid-locks, as we travel to and from work places, schools and other recreational activities, which sometimes engender social vices, which often result to violence, theft, robbery and road rage.”
Also speaking, the South-South Zonal Commanding Officer of FRSC, Mr Bullus Darwang expressed regrets that, auto crashes have remained a major cause of deaths and disabilities in Nigeria, “as no day passes by, without recording at least 20 crashes resulting in an average of 15 deaths and many major injuries on the nation’s roads.”
Darwang stated that the FRSC annual report of 2014 had a total of 10,380 road accidents on Nigerian roads, claiming 5,996 lives, with 32,063 sustaining various degrees of injuries.
Rallies like this, he also said remain one of the strategies the corps uses to raise public awareness and consciousness with the aim of achieving attitudinal changes in the various categories of the Nigerian road users, especially during the yuletide, when the traffic environment obviously become more challenging, with its resultant rise in crashes and fatalities.
The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Musa Kimo, represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Yemi Adeyemo, reiterated that the sale of alcoholic drinks in the motor parks and the shooting of canisters (knock outs) still remain banned in the state.
He appealed to the public to report anybody found loading arms or other dangerous weapons into vehicles, whether commercial or private to the nearest police station or officer as everyone needs to be his brother’s keeper.
The Police Boss also assured that the police are on the high way for safety and accident reduction and prevention, and should be perceived as friends.
The State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike noted that accident prevention and reduction is a collective responsibility and commended the FRSC for improvement in that direction even as he called for more efforts.
Wike who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Kenneth Kobani promised to continue the repair of roads as that would help to reduce road accidents.
While warning drivers and other road users against drunk -driving during the current season, he also assured FRSC and Police of government’s support to maintain sanity and berated passengers who abuse drivers, FRSC personnel and Police for insisting on approved speed limit.
The mega rally was attended by the Service Chiefs in the state, National Orientation Agency and Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers NURTW who also presented papers.
By Pita Ochai