24th October, 2016
Mr Friday Ekhator, the Edo State Coordinator of Special Marshals of FRSC, has called on all road users to comply with highway regulations to stay alive during the ember months As the ember months are the last four months of the year.
Ekhator made the appeal in Benin on Monday while speaking with journalists on the programme of activities of his members during the ember months.
He said the call became imperative because of the increased vehicular activities on the roads during the festive periods when drivers were always in a hurry.
“It is this unnecessary haste and disregard for traffic laws that are responsible for major road crashes.
“The problem we still face is that many road users do not obey regular and special marshals when we try to stop and caution them.
“They feel that stopping for us will always result in punitive measures to them, but it is not all stoppages that culminate in bookings.
`Most times we stop them, we educate them on the proper use of the roads and the need to put their vehicles in order.
“They should learn to stop and listen to whatever the road managers have to tell them. We want them to drive and stay alive. It is for them and it will help them,” he said.
Ekhator also commended members of the voluntary arm of the corps in the state for their dedication and commitment to duty, which he said, had helped to reduce road crashes.
He said that the FRSC recently held a retreat for special marshals ahead of the busy ember months in Edo, being a transit corridor.
“The essence of the retreat is for us to meet and brainstorm on the way forward on the ember months’ challenges.
“We educated all special marshals on how to comport themselves on the roads and how to address situations they are faced with while on duty on Nigerian roads,” he said.
The state coordinator said the effectiveness of special marshals had resulted in the reduction of road crashes in the state.
He said that weekly road auditing and analysis showed that road crashes and obstructions had been on steady decline.
“Activities of my men have been encouraging.
“In spite of their tight schedule at their various places of work, they are still able to meet up with national patrol days and other state and national assignments,’’ he said.