Worried by the depleted standards in the certification of driver’s license applicants and inspection of vehicles in Plateau state, the Governor, Jonah Jang has solicited the support of the Federal Road Safety Corps to establish a new traffic directorate which can cope with global best practice in road traffic management.
Speaking during an advocacy visit to the FRSC headquarters in Abuja, Governor Jang frowned at the deteoriated mode adopted by the Vehicle Inspection Officers in Plateau state to certify vehicles and drivers, which to a large extent, has impacted negatively on road traffic management in the state and Nigeria at large.
He therefore urged other state governors to adopt the FRSC model and initiatives on road traffic management in order to collectively curb the spate of road crashes in the country.
According to the Governor, the Corps has set a unique pace within the African sub-region on road safety management and sought for the collaboration of the FRSC to establish an Information and Communication Technology-driven traffic agency in Plateau state.
Responding, the FRSC Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, Osita Chidoka recalled that road safety is everybody’s business. He also said that only 30 percent of road networks in Nigeria, belong to the Federal Government while the remaining 70 percent falls under the purview of the states and Local government authorities.
Chidoka further recalled the former practice where vehicle owners on receiving number plate allocation from States Motor Licensing Authority, sought the services of road side sign writers thus creating additional challenges in motor vehicle administration in Nigeria.
He added that it was this scenario that the FRSC resolved to address by injecting a harmonized and centralized uniform licensing scheme in 1990, which culminated to the establishment of the number plate plant in Lagos with the support of State Governors.
The Corps Marshal also commended the Plateau state government for being the first to indicate interest to partner with the Corps as Lead agency in road safety management, to reposition its road traffic agency. He also said that the Federal Road Safety Corps will introduce an annual ranking system to evaluate the level of infrastructural set up in all states of the federation in the area of road safety management and traffic administration.
According to him, the FRSC is driven by standards and processes which can be sustained and built upon to align effectively with global best practices and solicited a collective buy-in from all states to build a common front for a reliable national data base on vehicles and owners of such vehicles.
Additional Information:
1. FRSC contact: Jonas Agwu, Corps Public Education Officer08033026491,08077690055jonasagwu@yahoo.com, j.agwu@frsc.gov.ng
2. Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is the lead agency for road safety management in Nigeria established in 1988. FRSC website: www.frsc.gov.ng
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