The Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character
and Inter-governmental Affairs, Senator Tijani Kaura has admonished staff of
the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to protect their personal safety during
patrol activities to avoid being knocked down by reckless drivers. He stated
this today while leading members of the committee on oversight functions to the
National Headquarters of the FRSC, Abuja.
According to Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and
Strategy, FRSC, Senator Kaura said the Committee is disturbed by reports of
patrol men being hit by reckless drivers while performing their legitimate
duties on the highways, warning that such dastardly acts by the drivers are
unacceptable to members of the National Assembly. He pledged the support of the
legislatures in the efforts by the Management of the FRSC to tackle the
challenges, noting however that staff must on their own take necessary safety
measures to avoid the risk.
The Chairman further stated that members of the
Committee were on oversight functions to the FRSC National Headquarters to
enable them ascertain the level of implementation of the 2016 budgetary
appropriations to the Corps and particularly familiarise themselves with its
operations with a view to determining areas of further legislative support. He
commended the Corps Marshal for the commitment he has shown towards road safety
management in the country, assuring that members of the Committee will continue
to render necessary support that could make the operations of the Corps
successful.
Senator Kaura noted that with the year coming to an
end, there was the need for members of the Committee which has oversight powers
over the FRSC to be properly briefed on the activities of the Corps to ensure
that funds appropriated to it were being properly utilised for the benefit of
Nigerians.
In their various contributions, other members of the
Committee pointed out that the inter-face between them and the FRSC Management
was to enable them appreciate the challenges of the Corps and devise better
means of achieving results in budget and other related matters. They further
stressed that the interaction could assist in fostering better understanding of
the role of the executive and legislatures towards enhancement of national
development.
Earlier in his presentation, the Corps Marshal briefed
members of the Committee on the structure, functions, challenges and the
funding needs of the Corps including its performance of the 2016 budgetary
provisions. He noted that as part of the implementation of the year’s budget,
FRSC is constructing permanent office accommodation in four different states
across the country all of which are in different stages of completion.
The Corps Marshal added that though FRSC is not a
revenue generating organisation, it has through its patrol activities generated
over N1.6billion which was paid directly into the Federation Account,
emphasising that the Corps does not have access to such funds which go directly
into the consolidated accounts of the Federation. He expressed appreciation to
members of the Committee for their support over the years, noting that within
the limits of available funds, the executive has been helpful in timely release
of the appropriated funds to the Corps.
Oyeyemi particularly cited the full release of the
2015 budgetary appropriation to the Corps which he described as unprecedented,
stating that the gesture led to enhanced logistic empowerment for the Corps as
more patrol vehicles, ambulances and tow trucks were purchased into the
operational fleet of the FRSC. He declared that the overhead cost for this
year’s budget has been fully released up to date with no staff being owned
salaries, while the capital releases were being effected based on availability
of funds.
The Corps Marshal assured members of the Committee
that with legislative support the Corps is receiving from the Committee, it
would continue to work hard to ensure improved service delivery in order to
restore safety on the roads. He particularly thanked members of the Committee
for their interest in the safety of road users, assuring that the Corps would
remain committed to carrying out its statutory responsibilities of making the
nation’s highways safer for road users.
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