FRSC Seeks Stronger Partnership with Media To Enhance Road Safety In Enugu

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Enugu Command, says stronger partnership with the media will ensure an adequate flow of information and minimise road traffic crashes.

FRSC Sector Commander, Enugu Command, Taofeek Adeyemi Sokunbi, said this in Enugu when the Online Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) paid him a visit.

Sokunbi explained that the main responsibility of the corps was to save lives by preventing road accidents, urging the partnership of the media to achieve that.

“We need to work closely with you to enlighten Enugu residents more on road safety best practices.

“Road Safety is a shared responsibility, we need the media to assist us enlighten the public.

“We cannot do away with the synergy with the media.

He said on assumption of office, the Command initiated some measures to reduce road crashes in the state, noting apart from two major crashes which happened in Nsukka where 17 lives were lost and in Ugwu Onyeama, where 6 died, road crashes had reduced in the state.

The Sector Commander explained that there were crash prone areas in the state,and one of them is Ugwu Onyeama.

He disclosed that from their findings, most accidents at Ugwu Onyeama occured in the evening, adding that drivers speed to get home before night and in the process of the rush, some drivers overtake anyhow, sometimes two vehicles will be overtaking at the same time, leading to road crash.

”If we take human factor out of it, we will  reduce crashes”, he said.

The Sector Commander added that the Command had carried out some measures to reduce road crashes. These include Sensitisation of motorists and members of the public on safety measures on the road.

“We had advocacy in the Churches, motor parks and we use the media. Ugwu Onyeama becomes a factor in Enugu state. It has become a recurring decimal. What is happening there is human factor, wrong overtaking, distractions, pressing of phones while on steering . So, we tried to talk to people and enforce to transverse  this our Enugu axis to safety, he said.

The Sector Commander added that they went to Companies to talk to them , to ensure that their drivers are safe.

Sokunbi disclosed that they also applied  red flag measure on the road to calm drivers on speed .He said operatives of  the Command  from time to time go to Ugwu Onyeama to  do that. He urged travelers  to have an open mind when travelling on the road.

His words, ” there is nothing spectacular in that place. I just realized in the evening people coming into Enugu will be rushing to get home on time, coming from far distances. People that have waybill will be calling their clients. In the evening, you see people  trying to overtake about two vehicles or trying to rush home. Accidents at that place is not caused by spirit as people were meant to believe. It’s 80% human factor, over speeding, wrong overtaking, distractions among others”.

Applauding the Online media for their good jobs in the society, Sokunbi said,  ,”we are happy you came. We will work with you. Yours is driving what is trending. So, we want you to spread the gospel of the safety of our roads. The gospel is, we kill the speed on our roads before  our speed will kill us.”

He appealed to Journalists to always confirm their reports before pushing them to members of the public to avoid misleading the public

He urged sustain collective vigilance against the menace of road traffic crashes in the country, saying joint effort remains the panacea for dealing with the challenges of road traffic crashes.

Earlier, Clinton Umeh, the State Chairman, Online Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the aim of the visit was to interface with offices that deal with the public as well as intimate the sector Commander about the chapel.

Umeh hinted that the chapel comprised a diverse group of online media professionals and was keen to foster a strong and collaborative relationship with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Enugu.

”It is our firm belief that understanding your efforts and challenges will enable us to report accurately and effectively on matters of road safety, traffic management and public safety campaigns. It will also afford both parties opportunity to explore potential areas of collaboration where our platforms can support and amplify the critical work your command is doing in promoting road safety and reducing traffic accidents”, Umeh said.