The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Command, on Tuesday began a Two-Day Performance Improvement Workshop for its Transport Safety Officers (TSOs) to ensure effective fleet operations in Lagos State.
Mr Peter Kibo, the FRSC Zonal Commanding Officer in charge of the states of Ogun and Lagos, said that the development was a home grown initiative of training and certification of TSOs.
Kibo, represented at the workshop by Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide, FRSC Lagos State Sector Commander, said that road traffic crash was a dangerous malaise that must be tackled.
“You will agree with me that the traffic situations before the establishment of FRSC in the country could be described as chaotic, unpredictable and indeed dangerous.
“It was characterised by unprecedented wave of road traffic crashes with attendant colossal human and material losses.
“Within this era, public awareness and interest in road safety was minimal,” he said.
He said there was uncoordinated and haphazard licensing of drivers and vehicles as well as absence of good driving culture.
Also, deliberate policies and concerted effort at enforcing regulations were lacking.
Ogungbemide said : “The FRSC management has set goals for the year and taking into cognisance the challenges and risks faced by an average road user.
“Some of the strategic goals for 2021 include minimising the risk of death in road traffic and improving personnel capacity and competence in road traffic management.
“Our other strategic goals include to broaden and sustain stakeholders engagement and reposition, strengthen and sustain road safety programmes.’’
Ogungbemide said that the corps had also come up with various interventions and initiatives geared toward ensuring safer use of roads for all.
According to him, some of the recent interventions are on speed limiting device, tyre usage, driving school standardisation programme and Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS).
Also, Corps Commander (CC) Abiodun Akinlade, FRSC Transport Standardisation Officer, HQ Abuja, said in his remarks that the training would go a long way to bring sanity on roads in Lagos State.
Akinlade, who was one of the facilitators at the workshop, urged the transporters to obey road usage rules and regulations and cooperate with FRSC personnel as the case may be.
“Definitely we are building the capacity of our TSOs; we believe that what we have impacted on them will be utilised and ensure that all our fleet operators key to the minimum safety standard.
“And we believe that if they key to the safety standard, it is going to reduce road traffic crashes on our highways.
“This RTSSS we are talking about is one of the strategies put in place by the corps to reduce or eliminate road traffic crashes on the road by mandating the fleet operators to operate in safety standard.
“The corps has three variable standard; the fleet operator safety standard, the driver’s and the vehicle’s safety standard. If they are doing that, definitely there will be total eradication of crashes on our road.
“We appeal to articulated vehicles drivers to be safety conscious and consider all other road users so as to curb crashes on our roads and highways,” he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 18 TSOs participated in the two-day workshop themed: Regulations of Fleet Operators in Lagos State Through Road Transport Standardisation Scheme – Building Capacity of Enforcers. (NAN)
