LaPromotif

Nigeria Road Safety has taken the centre stage to become a contemporary subject of global discourse, but the phenomenon is yet to receive the expected attention it deserves in many developing countries of the world, when compared with other national priorities. In the last two (2) decades, road traffic crashes and injuries have emerged to be a public health concern and a major issue for policy and decision all over the world. The direct and long term effects are negative on the general development of countries. From 2016 to date, Africa for instance remains the region with the highest road traffic deaths (26.6 per 100,000 populations). With its population of 1,307 billion, about 650 deaths occur on Africa’s roads thereby slowing down the Gross Domestic Product of the region as the most hit is the productive manpower of the region involving youths of 15 to 29 years. In Nigeria, the total deaths recorded from HIV/AIDS and Malaria is surpassed by the number of fata...

  The Citizens’ concerns in 1976 regarding road traffic crashes where well over 40,881 crashes were recorded in the year alone, at a period vehicular movement was at its lowest, Professor Wole Soyinka (founder of the Federal Road Safety Corps) was moved to describe the conditions of Nigerian roads as a ‘slaughter slab’ in one of his documentaries. This record, in 1988, challenged him and a few well meaning Nigerian Citizens to take a solid stand targeted at liberating their fatherland from the shackles of Road Traffic crashes. The Professor went on to become the first Chairman of the Federal Road Safety Commission when it was established, under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, the Military Head of State of the Country. Having successfully introduced and implemented actionable plans and programmes to reduce crashes over the years from the humongous figures of 1976 under the supervision of different Corps Marshals over time, the FRSC represented Nigeria’s interest in the Unit...