26th August, 2014
JETHRO IBILEKE/Benin
Authorities of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has ordered the removal of all broken down vehicles along all major Highways across the country.
Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, who announced this on Tuesday while briefing journalists in Benin, said this was to create free-flow movement of vehicles on the nation’s highways.
Oyeyemi who peake through Mr Austin Aipoh, Assistant Corps Marshal, in charge of command Administration and Strategy, Zone RS2, during activities organised to mark its week-long “Operation Shield number four,” designed to reduce road accidents, said the operation was a periodic activity to identify routes that required improvement on in terms of enlightenment campaign to reduce road crashes.
He identified Benin-Asaba, Lagos Ibadan and Abuja-Okene, as routes where motorists continue to exhibit indiscipline in driving in zone RS5, which comprises Edo, Delta and Anambra states.
“During the week-long operation which commenced on Monday and ends Saturday, we have deployed 20 personnel and have increased the logistics support to augment the marshal and officers who are to man the Benin-Asaba route identified as one of the routes Drivers exhibit lack of discipline,” Oyeyemi said, adding that the FRSC would emphasize the need for motorists to be disciplined while on the steering, especially in the area of over-speeding, overloading and wrongful overtaking.
“We have met with transport companies in this regard and hope that after the one week operation, the various units and commands will carry on with the exercise’’, he disclosed, stressing “while we are going to improve on the enlightenment aspect of the operation, we are also going to ensure that we sanction erring motorists to serve as deterrent to others.”
According to the Corps Marshal, the FRSC has set up mobile courts along the corridors to trial erring traffic offenders, just as he announced that he had directed all zonal heads and commands to ensure that all broken down vehicles were removed from the highway within the next one week to create free flow movement of vehicles.