The Federal Government has restated its commitment to supporting the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for sustained growth and development, saying the Corps has justified its existence within 30 years of establishment. This was stated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federal (SGF), Mr Boss Gida Mustapha on Monday while addressing participants at the Open House organized to mark 30th anniversary of establishment of the FRSC.
According to the SGF, the Federal Government through the instrumentality of Decree 45 of 1988 as amended by Decree 35 of 1992, established FRSC as the lead agency for road safety management and traffic administration in the country. He further noted that the enabling laws were repealed and reenacted in 2007, as the FRSC Establishment Act 2007 under the civil democratic dispensation to enable the organisation meet the current global challenges of road safety.
He added that the establishment of FRSC was the most comprehensive attempts by the Federal Government to address the menace of road traffic crashes in the country. “The existence of the FRSC, therefore, demonstrates government’s concern for safety and security of road users across the country,” he stated.
The SGF further stressed that since the establishment of FRSC 30 years ago, the Corps has continued to show commendable commitment to tackling the challenges of road traffic management in the country through relentless use of public enlightenment campaigns and aggressive enforcement of traffic rules and regulations. These he said, have led to trending down of the rate and fatalities of road traffic crashes in the country, noting that government has continued to increase the budgetary allocation and provision of logistics support to the Corps to make it perform optimally.
He recalled that the Federal Government’s approval of the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy Document (NRSS) as a roadmap for campaigns against road carnage in the country and subsequent inauguration of the National Road Safety Advisory Council (NaRSAC) under the chairmanship of the Vice President was a further demonstration of government’s commitment to tackling the challenges of road safety in the country. “I wish to assure you the Federal Government remains committed to empowering the FRSC to fulfill its statutory responsibility of reducing the rate and fatalities of road traffic crashes in line with the global campaign being spearheaded by the United Nations under the auspices of the UN Decade of Action For Road Safety: 2011-2020.
Boss Mustapha called on all stakeholders to continue to render support to the Corps especially for the success of the ongoing global campaigns for safer road environment. He enjoins Management and staff of the FRSC to sustain the present momentum in public enlightenment programme and enforcement activities of the Corps, not only within the country, but at the entire West African sub-region and global community at large. “Stakeholders should accordingly, use this anniversary celebration to plan well for the next 30 years of the Corps in the collective commitment to safety of lives and property on the nation’s roads,” he stated.
He congratulated the entire staff and Management of the Corps on the anniversary celebration, and urged them to work harder to take the Corps to greater heights in the next decades.
In his welcome presentation, the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi traced the historical background of the FRSC from its modest beginning of less than 300 staff as at 1988, with most of the staff drawn from the old Oyo State Road Safety. He further noted that the development and expansion of the Corps has witnessed great impetus and gotten to the present level where its staff strength has reached 21,000 Regular Marshals and 18,000 Special Marshals. He added that the Corps now has a modern National Headquarters at Abuja and operate with 12 zonal command Headquarters, 36 state commands and over 200 units, outposts as well as roadside clinics and zebras.
Oyeyemi applauded the founding fathers of the FRSC and various leaderships that had managed the Corps in the past for their meritorious services over the years, saying the success story recorded so far is a testimony to their vision and selfless services. While enumerating the challenges faced by the Corps in its commitment to tackling the challenges, he lauded the sacrifice and dedication of the staff and expressed optimism that with the various measures being put in place and lessons learnt in its last 30 years, more successes would be recorded in the next decades.
The Corps Marshal reiterated his commitment to staff welfare programmes and urged staff to remain steadfast in the push for an ideal road safety environment in the country, where road traffic crashes would not lead to crashes. He expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the National Assembly for consistently supporting FRSC through increased budgetary allocation and logistics provisions.
The Chairman of the occasion, who was also the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed in his remarks, commended FRSC for maintaining stability on the nation’s roads in the last 30 years. While congratulating the leadership and members of the Corps for showcasing the essence of public service in the country, he noted that the smooth transition and growth witnessed in the Corps in the last 30 years has made the organization an exemplary public institution for others to emulate.
He described FRSC as one of the most reliable public institutions in the country and called for support from the Federal Government through provision of equipment and construction and rehabilitation of the roads, while urging the stakeholders to remain committed in their support for the success of road safety campaign.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe, who was the pioneer Coordinator of the Special Marshals, in his own remarks, congratulated FRSC for the journey so far. He called for collective action against road carnage, especially for truck and tanker drivers to always use retro-reflective tapes on their vehicles for adequate illumination in the night, saying such measures could prevent some fatal crashes on the highways.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Yusuf Burutai in his goodwill message commended the FRSC for its partnership initiatives with the Military, saying the existing relationship between the two organizations will continue to grow in their determination to ensure peace and tranquility in the nation.
From the National Assembly were representatives of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara who were represented by the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental organization and House Committee on Road Safety respectively, congratulated FRSC for its success story in the last 30 years. They both pledged their legislative support towards the review of the FRSC laws to make the organization perform more efficiently.
Various Speakers who delivered messages at the occasion agreed on the fact that in the last 30 years, FRSC has done well by earning public trust and called for its emulation by other public institutions. They appealed for more support from individual and corporate organization to make the Corps perform optimally in its campaign against road carnage in the next decades.
The Open House which was held at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre, Abuja was part of the activities to mark 30th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the FRSC. The programme attracted large turnout of participants from Ministries, Departments and Agencies, with stakeholders also coming from private sector and transport businesses.
Also in attendance were some former Chairmen of the FRSC Board and Corps Marshals who consensually expressed satisfaction with the level of development being witnessed in the Corps and called for concerted efforts to sustain the tempo.
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