FRSC Nigeria Should Serve Nigerians Better, Ensure Safety.

An elderly man, who claimed to be a “professional driver” for 35 years, was asked if he knew the meaning of some of the road signs. He smiled and said, “Don’t mind our government. They are always looking for a way to waste our oil money. They don’t know what to do with the money, so they are painting and designing roads.”

The first public safety campaign, the annual Road Safety Week, was initiated by the Nigerian Army in 1972. In 1974, the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) was established by the then-military govenment. The impact of that commission was, nevertheless, not sustained. In 1977, the military administration established the Oyo State Road Safety Corps which made some significant improvements in road safety and discipline in the state. In 1983, it was disbanded by the Federal Government.

During the oil boom period in Nigeria in the early 1970s, the rate of road traffic accidents spirally escalated and turned the country into one of the world’s most road traffic accident-prone nations, second only to Ethiopia. To address this dangerous trend, the Nigerian government has established what is now called the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in 1988, with certain spelt-out duties and functions.

The functions are contained in Decree No.45 of 1988, as amended by decree No.35 of 1992, passed and named by the National Assembly as the Federal Road Safety Commission (establishment) Act 2007. Some of them are as follows:
to design and produce driver’s licenses to be used by various categories of vehicle operators and determine, from time to time, the requirements to be satisfied by an applicant for a driver’s license;
to prevent and minimize accidents on the highways and clear obstructions on any part of those highways;

to educate drivers, motorists and other members of the public generally on the proper use of the highways;
to design and produce vehicle number plates and standardize highway traffic codes;
to give prompt attention and care to victims of accidents and conduct researches into causes of motor accidents and methods of preventing them as well as putting into use the result of such researches;
to determine and force speed limits for all categories of vehicles and adopt the use of speed limiting devices;
to cooperate with other bodies or agencies or groups in Road Safety activities or in preventing accidents on the highways;
to make regulations in pursuance of any of the functions assigned to the corps under this Act;
to regulate the use of sirens, flashers and beacon lights on vehicles other than ambulances and those belonging to the Armed forces, Nigeria police, Fire service and other para military agencies;
to provide roadside and mobile clinics for the treatments of accident victims free of charge.

Contrary to the above-listed duties and functions of the FRSC, damaged vehicles and other materials causing obstructions on the major highways are a regular feature on our roads, hampering the free flow of traffic. Additionally, some motorists would often feel they are above the law of the land.

 They park their vehicles in such a way that obstruct the traffic, infringing on the rights of other road users. Many of these road obstructions spend weeks and months on our highways wihout any attention from the FRSC. Rather, the FRSC regularly constitute “road obstructions” by carrying out unnecessary checks which should be more appropriate during festivities.

It is a well-known fact that over-speeding and drunk-driving are two of the major causes of road accidents. Unfortunately (and ridiculously, too), when one takes a stroll along the streets of major Nigerian cities, they see bars and beer parlors are everywhere. Most of the customers of such establishments usually arrive and leave in their vehicles. In parks and garages, Nigerians openly consume highly concentrated local gins called “pkaraga”, “push me I push you”, or “ta juu – ta juu”.

 Some drivers wouldn’t take off without taking two or more “shots”. One now begins to wonder if drunk-driving is really an offense in Nigeria. The motorists can freely park their vehicles along the roadside, buy alcohol and then proceed to drive their vehicles on the roads with innocent Nigerians. The FRSC are not doing enough to ensure safety on our roads. The FRSC have always pretended as if they are not aware that such things happen in Nigeria.

Rather than focus on generating funds and revenues for the government, which is not even part of their statutory duties and functions, the FRSC should concentrate more on saving lives on Nigerian roads and remain within the confines of its functions. It should beam its searchlights on the sale and consumption of alcohol in parks, garages and streets. Regular and routine surveillance should be carried out on the highways to ensure that obstructions are cleared to prevent accidents and enhance free flow of traffic. The FRSC should not wait until the festive season before going all-out to ensure maximum safety on our roads. Roadside and mobile clinics should be established at regular intervals along major highways to serve as first aid-points to accidents’ victims. The FRSC should educate motorists on the meaning and interpretation of road signs and figures.

All hands should be put on deck to ensure an accident free-Nigeria. God bless Nigeria.