26th May, 2017
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it has begun the process of affiliating its training academy at Udi in Enugu State to the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO).
This, according to the spokesman of the corps, Mr Bisi Kazeem, will enable the academy to award post graduate certificates in transport technology.
A statement on Friday, signed by Kazeem, quoted the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, as disclosing this when he visited the Vice-Chancellor of FUTO, Prof. Francis Eze, at the Owerri campus of the university.
Quoting the FRSC helmsman, Kazeem said the move is a demonstration of his commitment to staff capacity development and greater efficiency in road traffic management in the country.
He explained that the proposed affiliation was part of the bid to keep the corps on top of its game as the lead agency in road traffic matters in the country.
Oyeyemi stated that the FRSC could not afford to lag behind in its assignment given the state of facilities at the academy and the global rapid change in road traffic management trends.
“The choice of FUTO for the affiliation is in recognition of the university’s excellence in transportation studies.
“This is coupled with the fact that its location meets the requirements set by the National Universities Commission (NUC) for such affiliation,” the corps marshal said.
Oyeyemi stated that the FRSC Academy was originally conceptualised to be Africa’s centre for the study of road safety, while the affiliation was conceived as another dimension in its modernisation and collaborative initiatives toward attaining excellence in traffic management.
He, therefore, appealed to the university’s management to give the corps the necessary support for the success of its campaign for safer road environment and national development.
He added that as part of his management’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that the admission policy of the academy would provide for non-staff of the FRSC to also benefit from the programme when fully operational.
Oyeyemi commended the leadership of FUTO for its strive for excellence and assured that the partnership would yield fruitful results.
Responding, the vice-chancellor expressed delight in the visit, noting that FUTO had been carefully studying the activities of the FRSC and was impressed by its innovativeness in traffic management.
This, he said, made the partnership proposition a positive move that would enjoy the consideration of the institution’s management.
According to Kazeem, the vice-chancellor immediately set up a technical committee chaired by his Deputy on Academics to work out the curriculum and other academic modalities for the affiliation.
The committee is expected to work with the team from the FRSC side for harmonisation of the two positions, according to the spokesman.