The Corps Marshal, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Mr Dauda Biu, has said preventing road traffic crashes was not only for FRSC but a shared responsibility involving all.
Biu stated this at a one-day workshop for 2023 Special Marshals Sectoral Workshop on Thursday in Kaduna.
The workshop has the theme: “Volunteerism in road safety management: Limits and responsibilities.”
The Corps Marshal was represented by Corps Commander Comfort Asom.
Biu explained that road traffic crash was not an accident, but a result of actions or inactions of human beings.
“It is therefore preventable. Road Safety advocacy is not for the Federal Road Safety Corps alone, rather, it is a shared responsibility involving all of us.”
According to him, if the public resolves today to play their roles in the task, Nigeria will be saving its precious human capital and the time for action is now.
He added that sectoral workshop had always afforded the opportunity for this, hence “I hope today’s deliberation would yield fruits that will be harvested by road users in Nigeria. I challenge us all to exhibit the highest level of discipline and courtesy as we join in eradicating road traffic crashes by putting in place checks on highways, to ensure best practices of road safety management and administration.
“Today the Corps is seen as a beacon in road safety administration in West Africa and beyond with great strides over the years in saving lives. The present administration of the corps will ensure complete realization of 5% reduction of road traffic deaths and injuries with the aid of improving capacity analysis and management to enhance road safety policy formulation.”
He further explained that special marshals should not be perceived as persons who were only volunteering for pecuniary interest.
He said the attributes of a volunteer were delivery of services that must benefit others and all services should be done without expectation of a reward.
“There is need to always review our activities and analyse the impacts of these activities in the reduction of crashes on Nigerian road,” Biu said.
Earlier, the Sector Commander Kaduna State, Mr Kabiru Nadabo, said the workshop was to awaken the spirit of volunteerism in special marshals to the reality of policing the Nigerian roads for traffic infraction and promoting better road safety culture.
Nadabo said as critical stakeholders, it was necessary to sustain the spirit of volunteerism that had kept the special marshal soaring high in the past years and being reputed to be the largest volunteer arm of road safety agency in Africa.
He expressed the hope that the workshop would showcase variety of ways to strengthen the capacities of special marshals in Kaduna to fully understand the importance of their role as volunteers in the fight against road traffic crashes and the attendant consequences.
Also the Kaduna state Coordinator, Special Marshal Shamsudeen Fadare, said the workshop was to provide the platform for special marshals to undertake a review of the activities, brainstorm towards charting the way forward for improved service delivery.
Fadare said this year’s event would not serve as a wake-up call but also rejig the consciousness of special marshals on their complementary functions towards safer motoring environment in Kaduna state.
He told the special marshals to see the gathering as a clarion call to redouble efforts towards expanding the horizon to realize the 2023 FRSC corporate strategic goals.
Sen. Walid Jibril and Mr Charlz Opusunju were decorated with Honorary Special Marshals, while Hajiya Habiba Umaru was also decorated as Special Marshal.
(NAN)
