As Nigerians prepare for the yuletide and the attendant travels, the Ford Foundation’s Office of West Africa, has provided funding support to help the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). According to Dr ChiChi Aniagolu, Ford Foundation’s Regional Director in West Africa, in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, the funds is to build the capacity of FRSC’s paramedics and operational officials. Aniagolu said that this was to provide prompt and efficient accident rescue operations, preparedness and responsiveness to the very high accident rate on Nigerian roads. She recalled that in the first quarter of this year alone, 4,387 lives were lost and 14,108 individuals injured in road traffic accidents.She also noted that the flag-off of the capacity building training programme, would adequately equip all FRSC officers participating in the training with enough skills to effectively carry out their duties. Aniagolu said that with timely first aid and skilled first responders, more lives could be saved during accidents, especially as the festive season approaches when road accidents significantly increase.“I am personally delighted that we are able to support this initiative of the FRSC because despite the harassment we citizens can sometimes experience from the FRSC personnel on the road, I am so proud of the work of the FRSC. “We thank you for your service and commitments, and the risk and sacrifice you have been making for the past three decades to prevent and eradicate traffic accidents, attend to accident victims and create a safe motoring environment in Nigeria.“FRSC is not only saving lives, but also an essential link to the development of Nigeria because the safe movement of goods, services, and human mobility contributes to economic growth and development,” she said. According to her, the safety of Nigerian roads is an important public issue that needs to be a concern to everyone.“In addition to the pioneer training in Abuja, same would also be replicated in Kano, Ibadan, and Enugu for FRSC staff in those locations.” NAN recalls that the flag-off training held on Nov. 10, had the Director, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Simon Tyungu, who commended the Ford Foundation for its support and the FRSC for its commitment to enhancing the capacity of its staff.
The Ford Foundation is an international non-profit, philanthropy, that seeks to advance social justice by addressing the various drivers of inequality.
