March 29, (THEWILL) – Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has positioned itself to conduct aggressive enforcement including conducting over 200 Mobile Courts operations, intending to check a wide range of traffic offences.
With the mobile courts, offences such as: Speeding and Dangerous Driving/Overtaking; Lane indiscipline/Route violation; Road Obstructions; Use of Phone while Driving; Overloading; Seat Belt/Child restraint Use Violations; Passenger’s Manifest Violation; Operation of mechanical deficient and rickety vehicles; Latching and Twist-Locks Violation and Illegal use of the Spy Number Plates will be legally handled.
To achieve this, over 743 patrol vehicles, 184 administrative vehicles, 92 ambulances, 23 tow trucks and 144 motorbikes are being deployed as part of the patrol logistics.
Furthermore, reflective jackets, traffic cones, tyre pressure gauges, several extricating machines and digital breathalysers are part of the tools for special operations.
Added to the above is, a total of 23 Help Areas mobilised to ensure prompt removal of obstructions, and rescue operations during the period. This, he said, is in addition to the 15 traffic control camps which would be dedicated solely to identifying traffic gridlock areas to be manned by our personnel on a 24/7 basis.
This is in addition to 28 Road Traffic Crash Clinics and 53 Zebra points located along the major routes. This would be covered by 92 ambulances to be fully utilised for prompt response to crashes and rescue of injured victims to hospitals for more professional attention.
The plan and FRSC readiness for the Easter season were made known in an official statement issued Wednesday and signed by the Assistant Corps Marshal,
Corps Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps Headquarters, Abuja, Jonas Agwu.
ACM Agwu stated that the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC), Dauda Ali Biu, has tasked Commanding Officers to ensure full deployment of staff for maximum visibility, prompt removal of obstructions and ease of movement on all highways across the country.
This, Agwu said is in line with the operational guidelines of this year’s Easter special patrol scheduled to commence from March 29 to April 2, 2024.
As contained in the Operation Order, he said the objectives of the special operations are reduction in Road Traffic Crashes, Road Traffic Fatalities and Road Traffic Injuries; prompt response to road traffic crash victims; unhindered engagement in purposeful public education and speedy removal of obstructions from the highways, amongst others.
Dauda Biu assured members of the public that in achieving the objectives of the special operations, the Corps will combine the engagement of the motoring public through purposeful and impactful public education programmes, strengthening of surveillance activities to regulate unprofessional excesses, sustained effective patrol operations as well as adequate monitoring on the highways.
For effective monitoring and prompt response, the Corps has put in place a Situation Room at the National Headquarters to monitor the activities across the country, and collate and process information for dissemination to relevant commands and stakeholders as the case may be.
He also directed the Commanding Officers to liaise with other strategic stakeholders within their operational areas to secure the needed morale and logistics as well as security support. Dauda Biu identified some of the stakeholders as Military formations (route or resident); the Nigeria Police (route or resident); the DSS (route or resident); the Nigeria Immigration Service; and the NSCDC (route or resident).
Others are the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing; National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); State Traffic Management Agencies; State-owned NGO’s ambulance Services providers; National Network on Emergency Rescue Services (NNES); Federal Road Maintenance Agencies and the Federal Fire Service.
On the overall preparedness of the Corps for special operations, the Corps Marshal has expressed optimism that Nigerians would cooperate with members of the Corps and other security agencies as well as volunteers who would come out to assist the Corps in traffic management.
Expectedly, with the massive deployment of personnel and logistics and the envisaged public support, the Corps Marshal is confident that the celebration would be a huge success.
While reassuring the motoring public of FRSC’s renewed vigour towards entrenching sanity on the roads, the Corps Marshal also wishes all Nigerians safe and peaceful Easter celebrations.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
