The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road
Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi has announced that enforcement of the
speed limiters on commercial vehicles operating in the country will commence
nationwide on 1st October 2016, saying it would be total and
non-compromising. He stated this today during the stakeholders’ meeting held at
the FRSC National Headquarters Abuja with stakeholders from relevant government
agencies and road transport unions in attendance.
According to Bisi Kazeem, Head Media
Relations and Strategy, FRSC tabduhe Corps Marshal in his address commended all
the stakeholders for the consistent support they have given to the policy of
speed limiters usage in the country, noting that without such support, it would
have been difficult for the country to get to where it is today where
enforcement date would no longer be controversial. He particularly commended
the leadership of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and National
Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) for their technical inputs
into the policy, saying that it was such collaboration that enhanced the
decision of other stakeholders to adopt the policy.
Oyeyemi recalled that the initial date
set for the commencement of enforcement of the law was 1st of June
2015, stating that the date had to be extended to allow for further
consultation and more public enlightenment programmes, especially that the
period fell within the same week that the present administration was
inaugurated. He added that when the Corps made presentation to President
Muhamadu Buhari and suggested 1st of September 2015 as the new
commencement date, the President in his magnanimity extended the date to 1st
of April 2016. He further noted that in the process of commencing the
enforcement on the set date by Mr President, a Motion was passed on the floors
of the two Chambers of the National Assembly suspending the enforcement pending
when a public hearing was conducted by the House Committee on the FRSC to
determine the desirability of the policy.
The Corps Marshal announced that with
the House’s approval of the policy based on public acceptance during the public
hearing and its consideration of the relevance of the device in the campaign
against speed-related road carnage in the country, it unanimously lifted the
suspension order upon which the President gave a new enforcement date of 1st
October 2016. He called on stakeholders to take the new date with all
seriousness and ensure that their members especially commercial operators abide
by the regulations by ensuring that their vehicles are installed with the
devices before the commencement of enforcement to avoid sanctions.
Oyeyemi further expressed satisfaction
with the wide public acceptance of the policy, noting that with successful
enforcement and willing compliance by drivers, the rate of speed-related
crashes in the country would come down drastically. According to him, reports
of road traffic crashes recorded by the Corps since the beginning of the year
have shown that speed accounted for over 31 percent of the causative factors.
He expressed optimism that with the public hearing conducted by the Committee
on FRSC as directed by the National Assembly at the plenary sessions; the
judicial pronouncements on the powers of the FRSC to introduce the devices and
the presidential directive on the new date of 1st October 2016
coupled with stakeholders’ enthusiasm on the policy, the implementation would
be successful.
“The policy on the use of the speed
limiters device was carefully enunciated based on expert advice of the
Standards
Organisation of Nigeria; the National
Automotive Design and Development Council as well as stakeholders’ support as a
way of addressing the challenges of speed-related road carnage in the country.
It is our hope that with the 1st October 2016 enforcement date
approved by the President, relevant stakeholders would join hands to make the
implementation successful,” the Corps Marshal stated.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the
Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, which has oversight powers over
the FRSC, Senator Tijani Kaura applauded the FRSC for introducing the speed
limiters device in the country, saying it demonstrates the vision and proactive
ability of the leadership of the Corps on traffic management in the country,
bearing in mind the rate of speed related crashes. Senator Kaura commended
President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the policy, noting that with its
effective implementation; the rate of crashes would go down to barest level. He
expressed the willingness of the National Assembly to support the Corps in its
implementation efforts and other polices that could enhance safety and security
of people of Nigeria.
The Senate Committee Chairman added
that with the role played by the National Assembly towards creating public
enlightenment on the policy through its public hearing, the legislature has
become a critical stakeholder that would actively participate in the
implementation and work collectively with other stakeholders to ensure its
success. He assured that the National Assembly will remain committed to the
full implementation of the policy.
Also speaking at the occasion, the
Chairman of the House Committee on FRSC, Honourable Abubakar Ahmed Yunusa
represented by his Deputy, Honourable Gideon Bulus commended the leadership of
the FRSC for its commitment to road safety campaign in the country. He pledged
the support of the House of Representatives especially the Committee on the
FRSC, for the success of the policy, noting that the rationale behind
organising the public hearing as ordered by the National Assembly was to enable
members of the public express their views before a decision was taken.
He expressed satisfaction with public
acceptance of the policy as expressed during the public hearing, stating that
members of the public have shown positive attitude to it by not opposing it. He
thanked the President for his interest in road safety matters and pledged the
support of his Committee in the implementation of the policy in the collective
desire to restore safety on the nation’s roads.
The Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF) who was represented at the occasion by Tahir Mohammed Lawan
also commended the Corps Marshal for the efforts being made by the FRSC to
create public awareness on issues of road safety. He called on members of the
public to embrace the policy in the interest of road users and pledged the
support of the office of the SGF to render necessary support towards the
success of the implementation of the policy.
All the representatives of various
stakeholders in relevant government agencies and leaders of transport unions
who spoke at the occasion pledged their support for the success of the policy.
According to them, sufficient enlightenment programmes and consultations on the
policy have been carried out by the FRSC to carry everyone along. This they
said makes it imperative that all concerned individuals and relevant transport
unions should join hands in ensuring successful implementation. Some of the
leaders of the transport unions also commended the Federal Government for
commencing rehabilitation work on some strategic roads across the country and
pleaded for sustenance. They also called on the vendors of the device to take
them along in making the prices of the device affordable for their members.
Among stakeholders in attendance were
representatives of the office of National Security Adviser (NSA); Standards
Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Automotive Design and Development
Council (NADDC) and Directorate of State Services (DSS). Others were
Association of Speed Limiters of Nigeria (ASLON); PTD-NUPENG; Road Transport
Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN); the National Union of Road Transport
Workers (NURTW)and National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).
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