Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja
Injuries and avoidable accidents that occur on highways are not always due to bad roads as claimed by road users, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said.
According to him, road accidents are largely due to speeding and the recklessness of drivers, as no driver speeds on a bad road.
Fashola disclosed this in Abuja at a capacity building workshop on the activation of the five United Nations’ Convention on Road Traffic acceded to by Nigeria.
In a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing on Wednesday, the minister noted that the workshop underscored the importance and commitment of the government on the safety of the lives of Nigerians.
He, however, stated that injuries and avoidable accidents that occurred daily on highways were regrettable.
Fashola told participants at the workshop that there was no state in Nigeria that the Federal Government was not executing one road project or the other.
He said the ministry would soon embark on the deployment of manpower for the erection of additional road signs to provide the required guidance, support and direction to road users.
The minister charged the Federal Road Safety Corps to intensify efforts on public enlightenment campaigns, orientation and education of drivers to be of good behaviour while on highways in order to ensure the safety of lives and property.
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On his part, the Corps Marshal, FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, said his organisation would not have recorded success if not for the support it got from stakeholders in the road and transport sector.
He expressed gratitude to the United Nation’s envoy for sponsoring the capacity building workshop and promised that the corps would continue to work hard to ensure safety on Nigerian roads.
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