Speaking during an advocacy visit by the FRSC management team led by the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, Boboye Oyeyemi, the Chief of Air Staff described road safety as a collective responsibility and also commended the FRSC management for its massive deployment of information communication technology infrastructure for road safety management and traffic administration in the country.
He also promised to visit and inspect facilities at the National Hospital’s Helipad to enable seamless evacuation of road traffic crash victims from scenes of road crashes and landing of air ambulances at the hospital.
According to him, statistics emanating from the road traffic crashes do not only send positive signals about the Corps performance but also underscores the pro-active measures which the FRSC adopts to enthrone safer road use in Nigeria.
“We look at your statistics and notice that you people are pro-active. We will complement each other to achieve a common goal of reducing road traffic crashes” he said
Earlier in his presentation, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi commended the Nigerian Air Force for remaining steadfast in supporting the Corps’ aerial surveillance operations in the last 4 years especially during the yuletide.
“Since we launched the end of year special patrol operations, the Nigerian Air Force has been very strategic in the realisation of our goal of implementing the air surveillance initiative for traffic monitoring and quick evacuation of road traffic crash victims” the Corps Marshal said.
He also said “ for instance during the 2014 ember months patrol operations, the air surveillance operations through the collaboration of the helicopters and personnel of the Nigerian Air force, FRSC was able to reduce road traffic crashes by 42% and fatality by 49% and we need to improve on this feat by the end of this year” he added.
According to the Corps Marshal, the aerial surveillance has remained a critical component of the Corps’ mandate during the annual yuletide patrols, as it affords the FRSC the platform to evaluate traffic flow through aerial monitoring in order to utilize such information for patrol re-alignment and deployment of personnel and logistics along critical corridors of the highways.
Still on the aerial surveillance, Boboye described it as relevant to the Corps’ engagement plan during the yuletide and a further fulfillment of the Accra declaration of 50% reduction in road traffic crash fatality and the UN decade of action of 2011-2020, to which Nigeria is a signatory. He added that the feat achieved so far, would enable Nigeria to achieve the attainment of these international obligations.
On capacity building, the Corps Marshal said that the FRSC would be willing to conduct capacity building courses for Air Force personnel, and also competency driving course for their drivers and even senior officers to improve their driving skills. He also urged the Air Force management to sensitize its personnel on the need to procure their drivers’ licenses through legal processes to avoid falling victims to producers of fake drivers' license, adding that the Nigerian drivers’ license is recognized globally especially in the United States of America and European countries.
In the same vein, he stated that the Corps has a robust data base on drivers in the country which further enhances its enforcement capacity of traffic rules and regulations and also shares these data with relevant security agencies in the country.
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