As the first career officer to have
assumed the position of Corps Marshal in the 29 years of existence of the
Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), all eyes have been on Dr Boboye Oyeyemi to
deliver and validate the truism that FRSC has come age. And as many staff, road
safety stakeholders and members of the public have testified, FRSC Management
in the last two and half years under his leadership has improved greatly both
in operations and administration. Observers have noted that the successes
recorded in the just concluded end of year special patrol for Christmas and New
year celebrations were indicative of the level of capability of the Corps to
diligently play its role as the custodian of road safety in the country.
Codenamed, “Operation zero tolerance
for road traffic crashes,” the 2016 end of year special patrol was an exercise
that attracted the most massive deployments of staff and logistics in the
annals of the FRSC annual operations organised by the Corps with involvement of
aerial surveillance introduced in 2010. Having headed most of the strategic
departments of the FRSC including Operations and commanded several zones with
commendable results, Oyeyemi who has earned the reputation as a veteran in
operational matters of the FRSC, demonstrated his strategic operational
competence during the operations. He directed that prior to commencement of the
exercise, studies be carried out to determine the traffic trends, corridors,
black spots and the required human and logistic resources that could tackle the
perennial traffic challenges during the yuletide season.
Interestingly, while his Management
deliberated on the operational strategies of the exercise, its plans were
boosted by the unprecedented logistics support earlier received from President
Muhammadu Buhari whose administration provided over 300 patrol vehicles, tow
trucks and ambulances for the Corps. Accordingly, over 36,000 personnel of the
FRSC including members of the Special Marshals and the World Bank-assisted
heavy duty tow trucks, ambulances and power bikes that complemented the last
deliveries of patrol equipment to the Corps from the Federal Government were
rolled out for the operation. In its prosecution of the operation, FRSC’s
offices including that of the Corps Marshal literarily relocated to the
nation’s highways as the Corps Marshal who served as the Grand Commander of the
Operation was actively involved in the monitoring exercise.
Members of the Management staff,
Zonal and Sector Commanders as well as all heads of Corps offices at the
National Headquarters were not left out in the monitoring to ensure efficiency
in the operations. “All Commanding Officers are hereby directed to take
personal charge of the operation in their operational areas to ensure that
roads are free of wreckage. Consequently, cases of gridlock and road
obstructions that could lead to travellers sleeping on the road must not be
reported anywhere in the country, as such wreckage must be removed promptly,”
Oyeyemi stated in his directives to Field Commanders.
The operation which was formally
flagged off with deployment of monitors from the National Headquarters on 19
December 2016 lasted till 15 January 2017. In demonstration of their commitment
to the ideals of road safety, staff of the FRSC rose to the occasion,
especially with the wide celebrations taking place across the commands to mark
release of list of the promoted staff. Thus despite the gimmicks played out by
some detractors to derail the well planned operation through a strange
propaganda that contrasted sharply with the FRSC’s known values, the ever
motivated staff remained diligent, committed and focused, making the road safe
for all travellers under atmosphere of increased determination and enthusiasm.
It was, therefore, not surprising
that as motorists traversed the nook and crannies of the country in their
journeys home, they met fully charged staff, who adorned their smartly dressed
Combat dress with the newly approved Pea cap to match for traffic management.
As some of them noted, the 2016 FRSC end of year special patrol was a huge
success and aided in the restoration of sanity in otherwise chaotic traffic
situations. “It was so efficiently planned that one could see massively
deployed staff and logistics at all the blacks spots; thus the dreaded chaos
gave way to sanity,” one of the travellers wrote on his facebook page.
According to Mallam Abubakar Aliyu,
a resident of Lokoja, the Kogi state capital, the presence of the FRSC
personnel at every strategic locations in the town including the NATACO
Junction directing traffic ensured that cases of wrongful parking and road
obstructions were addressed, and Lokoja was made free of the usual gridlocks.
In the same vein, Dipo, a driver who regularly operate along Lagos-Ibadan
expressway expressed satisfaction with the heavy presence of FRSC personnel and
their equipment along the notorious highway resulting in free and safe movement
of people during the festive period. Mrs Maduka who reported from Anambra state
noted the FRSC personnel deployed at the Asaba end of the Niger Bridge, Onitsa
created foot lines that prevented random stoppage of vehicles on the bridge,
thereby paving way for unobstructed movement of vehicles.
The general applause for the FRSC
for the job well done therefore, became the new song among the people as echoed
by the Federal Government which enjoined staff of the Corps to sustain the
tempo in the new year. According to Engineer Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to
the Government of the Federation (SGF), the diligence shown by the staff during
the festivities was commendable and should be sustained in the new year. “I
also wish to use the opportunity to commend Management and staff of the FRSC
for the efficient traffic management witnessed during the recent Christmas and
New Year celebrations with massive deployment of personnel and logistics in all
the identified black spots across the country. This should be sustained in the
new year,” he stated while decorating some of the newly promoted senior
officers of the FRSC on 5th January 2017
In his new year message, Corps
Marshal Oyeyemi, while assuring the public of sustained commitment of the FRSC
to the safer road campaigns, commended the staff for displaying diligence and
commitment during the operations. He stated that FRSC will not rest on its
oars, but recommit to the challenges of making the nation’s roads safer in the
new year. “I call on all staff and well meaning citizens of the country to
rally round the FRSC in the ongoing campaign to restore sanity to the nation’s
highways, bearing in mind that road safety is a shared responsibility,” Oyeyemi
stated.
As we commence the new year on a
positive note, it is now the responsibility of all Nigerians to lend support to
the FRSC for the success of the new dimension to traffic management being
propelled by the leadership of the Corps through a campaign that makes everyone
a stakeholder in matters of road safety. That is in line with Corps Marshal
Oyeyemi’s admonition to motorist to, “always drive to save a life.”
Abdullahi, Superintendent Route Commander is the Media Assistant to
the Corps Marshal
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