The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has reiterated its commitment to ensuring road safety among motorists in the country as it marked its 32 years of operations in the country.
In February 1988, the Federal Government established the Federal Road Safety Commission through Decree No. 45 of the 1988 as amended by Decree 35 of 1992 referred to in the statute books as the FRSC Act cap 141 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), passed by the National Assembly as Federal Road Safety Corps (establishment) Act 2007
Prior to the establishment of Federal Road Safety Commission in 1988, there was no concrete and sustained policy action to address the carnage on Nigerian roads. Earlier attempts in this direction were limited to discrete and isolated attempts by some states of the federation and individuals.
In a goodwill message by the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Olayemi Oyeyemi, attributed the success of the FRSC over the years to the dedication of its officers and leadership since establishment, noting that the agency has become an attraction of contemporary study in volunteerism in law enforcement and the best example of a Lead Agency for Road Safety for Africa by WB.
“It also an advisory member of the UN Road Safety Trust Fund and also representing Africa on the Board; ISO 9001 2015 certified; influenced the nation to become the first country in Africa and the fourth globally to assent to all the six UN Conventions on Road Traffic; availing countries of the African sub-region technical assistance on road safety management; one of the few organizations that has continually drawn diplomatic goodwill to the country; the foremost law enforcement organizations in Nigeria with the highest positive public disposition and alignment, one of the few agencies globally with a national traffic radio, among others.”
Dr. Oyeyemi said the Corps is focused on capacity development and in order to have a seamless approach to her service delivery in the future, noting that training institutions are being expanded while new ones are being established.
He also added that the plans for the establishment of the National Traffic Television to compliment the National Traffic Radio has commenced in earnest in order to boost public education and enlightenment.
“Our collective resilience and heights attained should not, however, be taken for granted. Nigerians must not also be taken for granted, for whatever reason. This, therefore, brings me to a cankerworm which appears to have infested the Corps body operations and could inadvertently upturn our hard-earned gains and reputation. The cankerworm is the twin of bribery and corruption.”
“Bribery and corruption erode the trust that the public has in us to act in their best interest because it diminishes the quality of our services, thus preventing the natural laws of the economy from functioning freely as it should and the entire society suffers. A road safety management approach infested with bribery and corruption would, therefore, retard the nation’s growth.
He said while the Corps has launched a boisterous internal fight against the twin evil, she has also entered into purposeful synergy with the ICPC and the DSS on surveillance activities.