May 01, (THEWILL) – The National Council for Arts and Culture and the Federal Road Safety Corps have concluded plans to start a massive campaign for safety on Nigerian roads.
This decision was the outcome of a meeting between the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe and the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, at the Corps headquarters in Abuja.
Otunba Runsewe, who expressed his appreciation to the Corp Marshal for the warm reception accorded him and his management team, said he was overwhelmed with the state-of-the-art facilities at FRSC Monitoring and Control Room, as well as the FRSC Radio Station broadcasting from 107.1 FM, when he was conducted round the facility.
Runsewe commended Oyeyemi for his visionary leadership, which has culminated in the sustenance of the vision and mandate of the FRSC.
The NCAC boss however noted with dismay that major causes of mishaps on our roads stem from the fact that our cultural values as Nigerians have been eroded, adding that there was urgent need for a reorientation for all road users.
He also stressed the need for increased synergy and collaboration between both organisations to sensitise road users on the moral imperative of imbibing the culture of safety on our roads to reduce accidents and avoid unnecessary loss of lives.
“It is alien to our culture to drink and drive. It is also not in our culture to use electronic gadgets like phones and to over speed while driving. The NCAC is ready to collaborate with the FRSC in its drive to educate Nigerians on the need to restore sanity on our roads by reviving the culture of safety.”
Runsewe presented to the Corps Marshal and his top management team promotional materials to aid the enlightenment campaign of the FRSC and called for increased funding for the FRSC to enable it fulfill its core mandate of making our roads safer.
In his response, Oyeyemi expressed delight for the visit, which he said came at a time when the commission needed to increase its synergy with critical stakeholders on measures to ensure the attitudinal change of road users.
Oyeyemi said the FRSC was proud to partner with the NCAC, which has a deep passion for the Nigerian project and has contributed immensely in burnishing the image of Nigeria at home and in the Diaspora, within the Culture and tourism space.
He maintained that one of the cardinal responsibilities of the FRSC is to ensure that all road users, especially the drivers at various motor parks across the country, are well schooled on safety protocols before embarking on their journey, adding that the exercise has yielded positive results as cases of accidents on our roads have reduced drastically.
The corps marshal expressed the FRSC readiness to collaborate with the NCAC by allocating a 30 minutes slot on the FM Radio for the Corps educational officers and for NCAC to introduce the much needed cultural content in its safety and enlightenment campaigns to the public as much still needs to be done in that regard.
While presenting safety books to the NCAC, he expressed delight on the veritable platform created by the partnership and remarked that NCAC will form an integral part of its campaign machinery since it has the capacity, in terms of language, dance arts and crafts, to culturally drive home messages on safety.
The highlight of the meeting was the unveiling of the symbol of cooperation between the two organisations with the insignia: NCAC and FRSC, a partnership that works, followed by an exchange of gifts by the heads of both organisations.
About the Author
Janefrances Ebere Chibuzor is a Tourism Writer at THEWILL
