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Inauguration of the National Road Safety Advisory Council: FRSC continues to grow in leaps and bounds under Oyeyemi, by Bisi Kazeem
Nothing gladdens the heart of a citizen than the empirical indices of positive changes and development of his country. When the nation is blessed with a crop of leaders who formulate and implement policies that guarantee the safety and security of lives and properties of all and sundry, that feeling of assurance is second to none. The feeling has a magic wand that could trigger immeasurable degree of patriotism. It breeds confidence, nurtures trust in the government, eradicates apathy, and entrenches great deal of citizenship participation in governance.
A case at hand is the Federal Road Safety Corps and the crop of leaders the lead agency in road safety administration and traffic management in Nigeria has had since creation. In its over three decades of entrenching safety and creating a safer motoring environment in Nigeria, the agency, through coordinated formulation and implementation of life saving policies, has in no small measure, clamped down on factors that have bedeviled the highways and successfully reduced to the barest minimum, the cases of road traffic crashes and fatalities on our roads.
Since 18 February, 1988 when the Corps commenced full operational activities geared towards eradicating road traffic crashes, the Federal Road Safety Corps has brought down annual record of crashes from over Forty Thousand deaths per year to below Five Thousand deaths.
The foregoing, of course is not the crux of this article, since several publications abound on how the Corps achieved the aforementioned strides. My opinion will dwell mostly on the resourcefulness, inventiveness, dexterity and administrative prowess of the present Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi whose administration defined its cause in tandem with UN Decade of Action as well as the mantra of functional 21st century organization by chatting a path to meet the Accra Declaration of 50% reduction in fatality by 2015, achieve the UN decade of action on road Safety of 50% fatality reduction by 2021 and the rollover of UN Decade of Action in 2031 among others.
The Corps Marshal, Apart from succeeding in securing the endorsement of the first National Road Safety Strategy in 2016, made Nigeria the first African country to be admitted into International Traffic Safety Data analysis group IRTAD, became the first African country to accede to six (6) United Nations Conventions on Road Safety. These efforts have been systematically coordinated to align with global best practice as the standards have been domesticated and part of this domestication led to the birth of the National Road Safety Strategy for the years 2021-2030.
This quest to have a coordinated road safety framework anchored on the safe system approach and the five pillars of UN Decade of Action was aggressively pursued by the Corps Marshal owing to the fact that according to the United Nations, Africa faces specific issues exacerbating road traffic crashes. The UN report revealed that the population in Africa is steadily growing. The region’s economy is growing faster than any other continent, less affected by the global economic crisis, which results in a rapid expansion in middle class and increasing motorization in the continent.
The UN submitted that, in most African countries, urbanisation is growing and road infrastructure is expanding, while safety consideration in land-use planning and road design is not adequate to serve the mixed traffic that exists in the region. Road transport is the dominant mode of motorised transport, but traffic operation is unsafe due to many variables including poor road use and old vehicle fleet. Generally road traffic concentrates at and near urban centers and on specific major roads. In most African countries, post-crash care is weak or nonexistent. Above all, with these risk factors of road crash, governance and commitment are important concerns in Africa thereby worsening the situation.
Expectedly, the need to set Nigeria on a path that will exonerate her from the identified risk factors, is the propelling factor that triggered Oyeyemi’s resolve and determination to ensure that Nigeria has a working document that will not only coordinate the implementation of road safety policies, but also encompass everyone ranging from the public to private sectors, civil society to non-governmental organizations and government at all levels; vis federal, state and local government.
Retrospectively, the year 2011 was marked by the launch of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. For this occasion, the UN called on Member states, international agencies, civil society, businesses and community leaders to ensure that the Decade leads to real improvement, and recommended governments to develop national action plans for the decade 2011-2020.
As a response, several countries released or updated in 2011 their national road safety strategies. The achievement of this ambitious objective significantly reduced the consequences of road traffic crashes as well as physical and mental torment of direct victims and their relatives.
In addition to the purely human dimension, road traffic crashes also carry an economic dimension; therefore a substantial reduction in road traffic accidents represents considerable savings for the whole society.
By adopting the first National Road Safety Strategy, Nigeria joined in with countries where citizens have shown their will to fight against the new global epidemics – epidemics of serious consequences of road traffic crashes. As such, a major precondition for successfully achieving the objectives of the new Strategy is to have road traffic safety adopted by each and everyone as their personal right and responsibility. This was also part of the variables that informed the management of the Corps under the leadership of the Corps Marshal to facilitate the involvement of governments at all levels towards the realisation of the objectives of the NRSS document to create a safer motoring environment in line with the safe system approach where road crashes do not occur at all, and even if they do, would result in zero death.
Hence the inauguration of the National Road Safety Advisory Council, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, with the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi as Secretary.
Other members of the 29-member Advisory Council include six governors representing the six geo-political zone, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Minister of Transport, Minister of Works, Minister of Health, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Minister of Environment, Minister of Labour and Employment, Minister of Police Affairs, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, National Security Adviser, President, Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON.
The National Road Safety Advisory Council is a critical aspect of the updated or second version of the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 adopted by NEC and approved by the Federal Executive Council late last year. The updated version came following the expiration of the first document in December, 2020. And its primary function is to set National Road Safety Strategy target(s), Ensure co-ordination between Federal, States and Local Governments in achieving Road Safety targets, Drive the implementation of the NRSS via: Requests for progress reports from relevant agencies, Invitation of relevant agencies to defend proposed activities and road safety efforts on a quarterly basis, Endorsement of disbursement of pre-approved funds for strategic initiatives, Endorsement of disbursement of pre-approved funds for strategic initiatives and Monitoring of funds disbursement for strategic initiatives among others.
The Council is a very important body in Road safety management in Nigeria whose key role is to enhance the entrenchment of safety of all road users anchored much on the successful implementation of the Nigeria Road Safety strategy (NRSS) 2021-2030 where it is expected as earlier stated that crashes when they occur, result in zero deaths. The main objective of the NRSS document is to stem the menace of crashes through a systemic, nationally coordinated; deliberate and all inclusive crash management process that manages all the variables that interact on the road. Viz; road, road users, vehicles and road managers.
The National Road Safety Council is part of the general organised efforts of the Corps to ensure that all hands are on deck to end road traffic crashes in Nigeria. The move is to get the buy-in of major stakeholders in the public sector that play critical role in policy formulation. This is why the understanding and effective implementation of the provisions of the NRSS from the grass-root to the state and federal level will facilitate the achievement of the national goal of having a country where road traffic crashes result in zero death on Nigerian roads. As such, it is now more than ever, the time for every citizen to wake up to the realities of the present time and begin to contribute towards the actualization of the safety mandate because road safety is indeed, everybody’s business.
It was based on these stated facts that I leveraged these successes to adjudge the Corps Marshal’s leadership of the Federal Road Safety Corps as the proper placement of a square peg in a square hole and commend President Muhammadu Buhari for re-appointing Dr. Boboye, whose drive and sense of commitment to duty and professionalism is no doubt a clear justification of President Buhari’s confidence in the Corps Marshal.
• Assistant Corps Marshal Bisi Kazeem, fsi, Amnipr is the Head of Public Education Office at the FRSC National Headquarters, Abuja.
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Yuletide: Chisco deploys new luxury, mini buses, top quality services
Yuletide: Chisco deploys new luxury, mini buses, top quality services
…hails Tinubu for 50% fare rebate
Nigeria’s Transport Company of the Year, Chisco Transport Ltd, has deployed in various routes nationwide its newly procured new luxury and mini buses with the latest innovative features in the industry.
It assured the travelling public of safe and top quality services on all its routes this Christmas/New Year season, and beyond.
It stated this in a statement released on Tuesday, adding that the company, which had been one of the country’s front runners in long distance passenger transportation and logistics for over 45 years, recently inaugurated about four new branches in order to bring its services closer to its teeming customers.
It listed some of the new branches that had helped to boost service delivery this Yuletide season as in Awka, Enugu, and on Okota Road (near Cele Bus Stop on Oshodi-Apapa expressway), Lagos.
It stated, “This is in addition to embarking on a comprehensive maintenance of the existing fleet of buses in order to ensure they are in roadworthy shape for trips across Nigeria and the Lagos-Cotonou-Lome-Accra international route.
“Apart from advanced safety features like real-time GPS tracking and efficient safety systems, the new-look Chisco Transport fleet, featuring state-of-the-art buses, has all it takes to guarantee that passengers travel in style with their comfort and safety prioritised this season.”
It stated that the updated fleet had enhanced the popular Chisco 24 to 48-hour nationwide mail and parcel services.
All these, the leading transport solutions and logistics provider said, are part of deliberate efforts to ensure seamless and comfortable bus and logistic services to the customers during the 2024 Yuletide season and thereafter.
Chisco’s Head of Business Operations, Mr Buchi Ochuba, in the statement explained that the same commitment to ensuring safe and comfortable trips out of major cities and towns before Christmas, would also be deployed to return journeys in the new year.
He said that the management was aware that the huge investments the company had been making towards upscaling its services recently earned it the Transport Company of the Year at the recent Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) Awards in Lagos.
Ochuba reiterated Chisco Transport’s resolve to sustain the high standards that earned the company an enviable reputation, as well as continue investments in safety and comfort of travellers that have earned it the confidence of the travelling public and the auto journalists’ award.
“We appreciate the fact that in adjudging Chisco Transport the Transport Company of the Year, NAJA must have taken into consideration the high standards of our services, the over 50 new air-conditioned buses we procured recently, the new branches we inaugurated, our customer reward scheme and other investments we made to enhance passenger transportation and logistics,” Ochuba stated.
According to him, everything is in place to make certain that the teeming Chisco Transport customers all over Nigeria and on the international route enjoy top quality services, adding “We wish them a wonderful Christmas and a highly prosperous 2025.”
Chisco Transport also applauded President Bola Tinubu for the gesture of subsidising inter-state luxury bus transport fares by 50 percent this Christmas season.
Drawing attention to the importance of infrastructure to the road transportation business, the statement further commended the President for the appreciable allocations for the sector in the 2025 budget.
“We, therefore, wish to urge members of his cabinet to put in more deliberate efforts to help the President attain his vision with speedy and prudent execution inspired by patriotism.”
On the current sharp increase in fares across the routes, the award-winning transport company blamed the situation on rising costs of maintaining the buses, as well as on the high pump prices of diesel and petrol.
The Head of Operations, however, added that at the peak of every Christmas season, long distance buses are almost empty during return trips, which leads to a situation whereby the fares for the first journeys are raised to cushion the losses incurred during reverse trips.
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Coscharis Motors clinches Nigeria’s Multi-Luxury Company Award as Range Rover Autobiography emerges Luxury SUV
Coscharis Motors clinches Nigeria’s Multi-Luxury Company Award as Range Rover Autobiography emerges Luxury SUV
It is a double honour for Coscharis Motors Plc, one of the subsidiaries of the respected conglomerate, Coscharis Group, as it was declared Multi-Luxury Company of the Year and one of its iconic luxury brands, Range Rover Autobiography, was adjudged the Nigeria’s Luxury SUV of the Year at the 2024 edition of the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association Awards.
The well attended event was held recently at the prestigious Oriental Hotels, Lagos.
Coscharis Motors, a household name in topnotch globally respected luxury automobile brands in Nigeria, has been the exclusive representative of the British iconic luxury brand of the Jaguar Land Rover and the German pride in the luxury segment of the BMW brand over many decades.
The company in 2023 added another new luxury brand from United Kingdom into the Nigeria market which is the Grenadier from the Ineos group in UK. The Grenadier is a brand new product globally which is equally being represented in Nigeria by Coscharis Motors as a new addition to its existing ‘House of luxury’ when it comes to automobile of repute.
The luxury SUV category was keenly contested with other tested luxury brands but the Range Rover Autobiography came tops, according to the organizers, after strong consideration of the market acceptance of the Autobiography in all ramifications.
The All New Range Rover Autobiography variant is revolutionary, reliable and a class on its own with its special appeal, style that resonates with its priority audience when it comes to luxury, class, comfort and performance.
Receiving the award on behalf of Coscharis Motors, the General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Coscharis Group, Mr. Abiona Babarinde, dedicated the award to all the Coscharis Motors customers, especially the luxury brand enthusiasts for their acceptability of all the luxury brands in the Portfolio namely the Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and the new Grenadier respectively as their preferred luxury automobile of choice.
He said, “These awards only reconfirm our expertise in delivering top notch luxury experience to our premium customers while maintaining the global standard of brand positioning to discerning customers in the ever dynamic Nigerian market.
“Representing these globally respected iconic brands over the years exclusively in Nigeria involves consistent delivering of value for money that involves the total luxury experience from the point of brand awareness to the purchase stage and the aftersales service experience to deliver the peace of mind required.”
Group Managing Director of Coscharis Motors Plc, Mr. Josiah Samuel, also dedicated the awards to the company’s ever loyal customers for their patronage and acceptance of the brands with a promise to continually create more value in the automobile industry in Nigeria.
He said, “There can’t be another best way to end the business year in 2024 than with these set of prestigious awards despite all the business challenges in the year and more importantly that the awards are coming from a very critical stakeholder / partner like the media.”
The award event attracted various stakeholders that are players in the automotive sector in Nigeria.
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Leadership by example: FRSC Corps Marshal leads field operations, patrol highways
Leadership by example: FRSC Corps Marshal leads field operations, patrol highways
By Bisi Kazeem
As the year winds down and Nigerians embark on end-of-year travels, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has intensified its efforts to curb road crashes and ensure safer highways. Leading this charge is the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, who has set a sterling example of sacrificial leadership by actively participating in frontline operations during this critical period.
The end of the year is a notoriously perilous time on Nigeria’s roads, marked by increased traffic, heightened road traffic crash risks, and a surge in reckless driving.
However, under the proactive leadership of the Corps Marshal, the FRSC rolled out an unprecedented campaign to reduce road traffic crashes and fatalities, ensuring that the festive season is marked by joy rather than tragedy.
True leadership is not defined by words but by action. The Corps Marshal exemplifies this by personally leading field operations, patrolling highways, monitoring traffic flows, and directly engaging with road users.
His visible presence has reinvigorated the morale of FRSC officers and demonstrated to the nation that leadership is about service and sacrifice.
He defied insecurity on the highways and embarked on a traffic monitoring operation from Abuja, the Federal Capital, through Kogi, Ekiti, Ondo, Owo, Ore, down to Edo and Delta.
His decision to lead from the front underscores his commitment to the FRSC’s mission of saving lives and highlights the urgent need for compliance with traffic rules and regulations.
From the beginning of the Ember Months sensitisation campaign in September, the Corps had gone ahead of time, implementing series of robust measures aimed at addressing road safety challenges during the festive season. These remedies include; increased patrols and checkpoints as additional officers and vehicles have been deployed in strategic points on highways to monitor and enforce compliance with traffic laws; organised nationwide safety campaigns targeting speed violations, drunk driving, overloading and seatbelt use.
These campaigns educate drivers on the dangers of reckless behaviours and emphasize the importance of safe driving practices.
The Corps also ensured Emergency Response Preparedness: ambulances, tow trucks, and rescue teams are on standby to ensure rapid responses to emergencies, reducing fatalities and injuries in the event of crashes.
Knowing that the task of making the highways safe is a collective action, FRSC went into the season with strengthened partnerships with key stakeholders, including the Nigeria Police Force, transport unions, traditional rulers and local communities, to foster a united front in the battle against road crashes.
The Corps Marshal’s leadership has inspired not just his officers but also the general public.
His direct involvement sends a clear message that road safety is a shared responsibility requiring the commitment of all stakeholders.
The Corps Marshal’s hands-on approach during this critical period has not only motivated the FRSC team but has also restored public confidence in the agency’s commitment to saving lives,” said a motorist who witnessed the Marshal’s activities firsthand on the Niger Bridge.
The monitoring activities carried out across major corridors suggest that the intensified efforts are yielding positive results, with a noticeable reduction in road crashes and fatalities compared to previous years.
The Corps Marshal’s example of sacrificial leadership has brought renewed vigor to the FRSC’s operations, ensuring that every life is valued and protected.
Needless to state that the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, is indeed an enigma, a force to be reckoned with and a true example of practical leadership in public service as he leads yet again by example in the fight against road crashes in Nigeria.
Taking active front-line roles, dedicating to sacrificial leadership and willingness to take bold steps to address the challenges facing Nigerian roads.
By setting the pace, he’s inspiring his team and other stakeholders to join forces in the quest for safer roads in Nigeria.
As the festive season continues, let us all join the FRSC as they call on all Nigerians to support its efforts by adhering to traffic rules, avoiding risky driving behaviours, and prioritizing safety on the roads.
Together, with the leadership of the Corps Marshal and the dedication of FRSC personnel, a safer, accident-free festive season is achievable.
The Corps Marshal’s leadership reminds us all that effective leadership requires sacrifice, action, and a deep commitment to service.
As Nigerians embark on their journeys this season, they can take comfort in knowing that the FRSC is working tirelessly to make the roads safer for everyone.
*DCM Bisi Kazeem (Rtd), fsi MNIM anipr, a public relations expert and media guru writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
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