President Muhammadu Buhari has approved intervention funds for the renewal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) fleets and formations damaged during the 2020 #EndSARS protests across the country.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), Boss Mustapha, disclosed this during the inspection of the newly acquired operational vehicles and tow trucks for the FRSC on Thursday in Abuja.
Mustapha, was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Dr Mbaeri Nnamdi.
He said that this was to facilitate the effective enforcement of road traffic regulations and to also rebuild the burnt buildings.
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“The Federal Government acknowledges the contribution of the FRSC to the reduction in Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) and facilities on the nation’s highways.
“The President has continued to support these efforts through approvals for infrastructural development, vehicles and equipment,” Mustapha said.
Recall that several formations of the corps were attacked with property and operational vehicles either damaged or burnt in the wake of the #EndSARS violence of October 2020.
According to him, modalities for the release of funds are in process.
“It is my belief that the Corps will put these newly acquired vehicles to effective use in ensuring the safety of our roads.
“Therefore, I enjoin the motoring public to continually obey traffic regulations and adopt good road safety culture as road safety is a collective responsibility, ” he said.
Mustapha also directed the FRSC to engage critical stakeholders to ensure that crashes involving petroleum tankers received adequate attention.
He said this should be by installing safety valves to forestall the spillage and the attendant explosions associated with this class of heavy-duty vehicles on the highways.
“Safety valves should be fitted into tanker trucks to avoid explosion when crashes occur on the highway.
“And it is expected that the FRSC should ensure full compliance to the directives of the Federal Government, especially at the Benue and Bauchi axis, ” he said.
Responding, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, commended the present administration for its support, saying that the president had done tremendous work in acquiring the operational vehicles.
Oyeyemi appreciated the Federal Government for approving intervention funds for the FRSC and the additional operational vehicles.
“We believe within the next few months, once we get the fund, we are commencing the procurement process as directed by the SGF,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the newly acquired operational vehicles were the last batch of vehicles captured in the year 2020 procurement exercise.