Road Safety Issue has become priority at National and Global Levels- Amaechi
Oru Leonard
The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said that road safety issue has become a priority both at the National and Global levels considering its impact on the society at large.
Rt. Hon. Amaechi said this on Thursday, November 29, 2018 during the inauguration of a 2-day Road Safety Multi-Stakeholders Conference holding in Abuja.
The Minister noted that “according to the World Health Organization, 3,400 people die on the roads every day and tens of millions of them are injured or disabled”. He stressed that most disheartening is the fact that Children, pedestrians, cyclists and the elderly are the most vulnerable.
He reiterated his earlier call for enforcement of road traffic rules and more stringent penalties for those who violate and breach the laid down procedures guiding road use, noting that if traffic offence is criminalised and offenders are made to pay hugely, it will serve as deterrent and drastically reduce road accidents.
According to the Minister, the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari is placing Road Safety issues on the front burner aimed at promoting good practices that address behavioural risk factors. Amongst them are Public enlightenment, Capacity Building and enforcement and this Conference on Road Safety Multi-Stakeholders is one of such and it is hoped that the outcome will curb road mishaps and ultimately reduce the carnage on the road.
Rotimi Amaechi recommended some safety measures such as avoiding over speed, driving when one is exhausted, driving and making or receiving calls; stressing that if these tips are adhered to, it will curb the rate of accidents on the roads.
Welcoming participants to the occasion, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari represented by the Director of Road Transport and Mass Transit Administration in the Ministry, Dr. Antonia Ekpa emphasized that it was out of respect that the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) has for Nigeria that the Country was chosen to host this conference noting that it underscores the importance Nigeria places on safety on our roads.
Zakari noted that it was envisaged that UNITAR’s aim for organising this event is to serve as a platform to address some of our emerging challenges on road safety. He commended UNITAR for the High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) initiative of training given to Law enforcement Officers to address road safety risk factors, using the Breathalyzer Machine which detects drinking while driving.
Present at the event were the Representative of the Hon. Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Mr. Alex Mejia, Director, Division for People, UNITAR, Mr. Baker Magunda, General Manager, Guinness Nigeria, Mr. Nikhil Seth, UN Assistant Secretary General, Executive Director, UNITAR, Dr. Sydney Ibeanusi, Focal Person and Coordinator, UN Decade of Action on Road Safety, Representative of the Corps Marshall, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi and other critical Stakeholders.
