LAGOS – The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has vowed to continue its education and public enlightenment geared towards minimising crashes on the highways as ‘Ember Months begin.
The ‘Ember Months’ are the last four months of the calendar year; September to December and this period is considered as a period of heightened or intense activity.
Road crashes and injuries are usually high within this period in Nigeria.
Speaking at the ‘Breakfast With Sector Commander Lagos’ on Friday, organised by On The Highway Africa, Mr. Patrick Davou, Sector Commander of the FRSC, Lagos at the corps office in the state, said that the FRSC was prepared for the ‘Ember Months’ and would do all possible to reduce road crashes within the period.
Davou explained that the corps was aware of the enormous activities within this period, especially in Lagos, which is treated specially by the FRSC because of its high human and cargo movements.
He said: “Lagos State is number one in terms of FRSC activities and the number command in Nigeria. Lagos is so unique in terms of FRSC activities. And it is strategically located; it is the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria and we are bound to have a lot of humans and vehicular movements.
“It is also a gateway to the diaspora. It has all forms of transportation; road, rail, waterways and the air. So, you can see how strategically Lagos is to us.”
He added that the primary objective of FRSC was to make the road free of all road traffic crashes and as well as ensuring that properties of Nigerians were safe.
In case of an emergency, Davou advised responders to make use of the corps emergency number: 122, assuring that the corps would swiftly respond to such calls.
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“What FRSC is doing is that we want to have our response time very short so that we could save lives. Someone who has five or 10 minutes to survive, when we are called upon and we are not there on time, we all know what it means. So, timing is very necessary,” he said.
He further commended Mrs. Julie Chi-Nwaoha, the Publisher of On The Highway Africa for the support given to FRSC in the last few years.
Chi-Nwaoha who is also one of the Special Marshals, FRSC, he emphasised had done a lot through our platform to ensure safer and better highways for road users across the country.
“So, I salute the Special Marshals, they are doing a lot to propagate the activities of FRSC. So, most people listen to them. Looking at On The Highway Africa, the app is really educating the motoring public and seeks to address some sorts of activities that could lead to the avoidance of road crashes.
“I want to commend the Special Marshals, the Celebrity Special Marshals for supporting the corps, you are really doing well for us,” he added.
In her welcome address, Chi-Nwaoha, explained that the intent of the platform was to ensure safer roads for all users.
She pointed out that during the Ember Months period, road crashes were usually enormous, but promised that the organization would not be weighed down by the challenges.
She also commended the FRSC, especially the Lagos Command for its support and cooperation over the years.
The highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the On The Highway Africa ICE Campaign.
