22nd October, 2018
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has asked motorists to expect full implementation of traffic rules following Nigeria’s assent to the ‘Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals of 1968’.
Corps Marshal of FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York that Nigeria must now adhere to the global standard of road traffic enforcement and compliance.
Nigeria became the 78th country to assent to the Convention as the country deposited its Instrument of Accession on Thursday to the United Nations in New York.
The Convention is a multilateral treaty designed to increase road safety and aid international road traffic by standardising the signing system for road traffic in use internationally.
By presenting its assent to the UN, Nigeria has deposited its instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval with the depository.
Oyeyemi said with the assent: “The road users should expect higher level of enforcement and compliance as per the global standard.
“Because with President Muhammadu Buhari, haven assented and Nigeria haven deposited it, it behoves on the country now to comply fully with all these statutes”.
Buhari assented to the Convention on Oct. 4 and a delegation from FRSC, led by Oyeyemi, joined by the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, formally deposited the Nigeria’s assent.
Oyeyemi said with the depository of the instrument of acquiesce, Nigeria now has “the voice to really make comments and contribute effectively at the global level.”
“You have limitations when you are not a signatory to Conventions; you can’t make contributions and you cannot benefit from it.
“So that means that we are going to benefit more now and with Nigeria’s leadership role in Africa now showing glaringly.
“We are now the 78th member to accede to the 1968 Convention globally, so it is a landmark; only few African countries have done this.
“And being the lead agency in Africa, to us at the Federal Road Safety Corps, which is holding the flag for Nigeria, I think it’s a landmark,” he said.
The FRSC boss also said that Nigeria was the only country representing Africa on the board of the United Nations Road Trust Fund.
The fund is a $770 million annual grant that could save five million lives and avert 50 million serious injuries in low and middle income countries over the next decade.
“And again, because of our leadership role, Nigeria is representing Africa as a member of the United Nations Road Trust Fund Advisory Council; I think it is a landmark.
“We (FRSC) are raising the flag of the continent and with this (assent to the Convention), we have the boldness now to show that we have complied with the global body’s convention.
“This is a plus for us that we will be able to really make more contributions and get more support for Nigeria and Africa as a whole,” the corps marshal said.