No fewer than 94 persons have lost their lives to different road mishaps that occoured across the country within 5 days of this year’s Christmas celebration, the Federal Road Safety Commission has said.
According to Corps Marshall and Chief Executive of Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka, the crashes claimed the innocent lives in about 191 accidents. Chidoka made this known in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, where he went to monitor the traffic situation on the ever-busy Lokoja-Abuja highway.
The FRSC boss blamed the sad occurrences on high speed.
Expressing his worry over the rampant road accidents, Mr. Chidoka condemned the attitude of motorists who often violate traffic sign.
He said, “It is an attitudinal issue as this year witnessed rehabilitation of major corridors of the highways, people tend to disregard traffic laws bordering on speed limits and accelerate beyond recommended speed thus resulting to the figures we have witnessed the last 5 days. We have devised measures to address this unpleasant development”.
Chidoka however urged road users to minimise their speed rate and obey traffic regulations to avoid more road disasters.
While expressing his gladness over the free flow of traffic on Abuja-Lokoja-Okene highways this festive period, he lauded his men and other security agencies for bringing traffic situation under control. He also warned drivers against over-speeding, overloading and the use of seat belt. He also asserted that offenders would not go unpunished.
The Corps Marshall however applauded the Federal Government for its quick intervention on rehabilitation of bad roads across the country, noting that the road audit, which was presented to the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Management Agency was urgently attended to.
His words, “In my five years as Corps Marshal, I have never seen such a concentrated effort to rehabilitate the roads by FERMA and the Ministry of Works”.
Chidoka who extended his traffic monitoring to Niger Bridge in Onitsha and its environs observed that sanity has been restored in the areas.
He noted that Anambra State Sector Commander, Hyginus Omeje, had to temporarily relocate to Onitsha on Sunday from Awka to control the traffic.
Comments