The
Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong has expressed his readiness to
collaborate with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the efforts to rid the
state of undesirable road safety practices. This was disclosed by the Deputy
Governor of the state, Professor Sonni Tyoden who received the Corps Marshal of
FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi on behalf of the Governor at the Government House, Jos
during an on advocacy visit by the Corps Marshal.
According
to Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, the Governor said the
state government has been concerned with the level of recklessness of some
drivers who overload their vehicles, drive carelessly and indiscriminately use
their private cars for commercial purposes. While frowning at such practices,
he also identified indiscriminate construction of road bumps on the highways by
some communities in the name of slowing down speeding vehicles as threats to
lives of road users.
He
welcomes the idea of collaborative efforts between the FRSC and the state
government to discourage these negative practices using public
enlightenment strategies and application of sanctions. While commending the
Corps Marshal for managing the affairs of the FRSC with professionalism,
Professor Tyoden noted that the exemplary performance of the FRSC under his
management has positioned the Corps for operational success.
Speaking
further, the Deputy Governor expressed the appreciation of the state government
to the FRSC for its focus on saving people’s lives and property on the road,
assuring that the state government will join hands with the Corps in its
determination to reposition the organisation for optimal performance through
improved capacity development of its personnel. He added that the state
government will study the proposal on how to make the FRSC Training School Jos
more productive to serve the purpose for which it was established..
The
Deputy Governor also expressed delight at the moves by the FRSC to cite a number
plate embossing plant in the state to address cases of replacing defaced, lost
or damaged plate numbers, noting such a plant would no doubt save the state
from the stress of travelling to Abuja to effect the changes on the affected
number plate. He described Plateau state as “a road-safety friendly state,”
which will do all it can to support the FRSC’s operations.
Earlier
in his address, the Corps Marshal applauded Governor Simon Lalong for his long
standing relationship with the FRSC, citing the example of his unalloyed
support for the Corps towards the approval of the National Road Safety Strategy
Document by the Federal Government and subsequent inauguration of the National
Road Safety Advisory Council by the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo
with the Vice President as the Chairman in a Council that has six Governors
representing each of the six geopolitical zones of the country, some Ministers
and professional bodies as members.
According
to the Corps Marshal, the inauguration of the Council was a clear demonstration
of the political will by the present administration to tackle issues of road
safety with all seriousness, saying the document has roles for all levels of
government and non-governmental organisations in the spirit of road safety as a
shared responsibility. He also commended the state government for hosting
the FRSC Training School Jos as well as the zonal and sector commands and
expressed the determination of his management to upgrading the Training to a
Diploma awarding institution in line with the manpower development of the
Federal Government.
To
this end, the Corps Marshal called on the state government to play its own part
in actualising the dream through provision of infrastructure and necessary
facilities to facilitate the accreditation of the courses being offered by the
institution. Oyeyemi announced the decision of his Management to cite a plate
number embossing plant in the state, but called for provision of some necessary
facilities by the state government to make the plan a reality.
In
a related development, the Corps Marshal has called on staff of FRSC serving in
Plateau state to rededicate themselves for improved service delivery in the
determination to improve on their last year’s performances. The Corps Marshal
stated this while addressing combined parade of staff of Zone 4 Headquarters;
Plateau state sector command and FRSC Training Scholl, Jos as part of his
activities in the state.
He
commended the staff for exhibiting high sense of discipline and commitment to
duties during last year’s end of year special patrol, but charged them not to
rest on their oars and implored them to remain focused on enforcement of
traffic rules and regulations as well as prompt response to distress calls. The
Corps Marshal particularly charged the staff on the need to sustain the current
tempo of enforcement on speed limiting device, saying there is no going back on
the enforcement.
The
Corps Marshal further assured staff nationwide of his Management’s commitment
to their welfare, noting that government is not unmindful of their welfare
needs and everything is being done to ensure that their salaries and allowances
are paid as at when due. He further stated that while promotion exercises for
last year were conducted with high level of integrity, Management is currently
reviewing the syllabus of the promotion course to make this year’s exercise
even more successful, giving assurances of its transparency.
Oyeyemi
further stressed that Management will continue to put necessary measures in
place to alleviate staff’s hardships both while in service and after the
service years as evidenced by the various schemes that have been put in place
to address their socio-economic needs. He enjoined staff to utilise the
benefits of the schemes and plan well for their future.
Tags
Society