The Kogi Government, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other stakeholders have called for stronger collaboration and strict enforcement of traffic regulations to ensure smooth traffic flow during “Ember Months”.
They also said that strict enforcement of traffic regulations would reduce road crashes during the Ember Months and festive season.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on traffic management, control and road safety on Wednesday in Lokoja, the Director-General, Government House, Dr Shuaibu Oricha, said the Ember Months usually witnessed increased vehicular movement, with attendant risks of traffic congestion and road crashes.
Oricha urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), security and traffic management agencies, members of the State Road Safety Council and other stakeholders to plan ahead and work collectively to ensure the safety of motorists and other road users.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to Gov. Ahmed Ododo on Road Safety Matters, Mr Suberu Yusuf-John, said the state government was coordinating traffic management efforts to ensure that no traveller was stranded on the roads during the festive period.
Yusuf-John said the government would regulate the movement of articulated vehicles by determining when and where they could operate, stressing that operators could not simultaneously serve as regulators.
He said a joint task force involving relevant agencies and stakeholders would monitor compliance with traffic regulations, while mobile courts and other enforcement mechanisms would be deployed against traffic offenders.
Yusuf-John said the government would also use the media to sensitise motorists and other road users on traffic management and safety measures.
He urged motorists to obey traffic rules, warning that the state government would not tolerate misconduct capable of endangering lives and property.
Mr Abraham Daniel, the Corridor Commander, Corridor 3 of the FRSC, covering the Abuja-Okene corridor, attributed some recurring gridlocks on the Abuja-Lokoja highway to motorists’ impatience and failure to obey traffic rules and directives from traffic officers.
Daniel said the FRSC would intensify public enlightenment through radio and television programmes, motor parks, markets and other strategic locations.
He urged motorists to exercise patience and cooperate with traffic management personnel to ensure smoother traffic flow and reduce avoidable congestion.
The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Mr Lawal Fagge, called for the early deployment of personnel to identified traffic bottlenecks, including Nataco, Banda, Magajiya and Gaba Hills.
Fagge also advocated a joint task force involving security agencies, emergency services and state traffic management authorities to strengthen traffic control and emergency response.
He called for the identification of crash black spots, public enlightenment, temporary repairs of dangerous road sections and provision of alternative routes where construction activities could disrupt traffic.
The sector commander urged motorists to observe lane discipline and avoid speeding, dangerous overtaking, overloading and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
He also called for the strategic deployment of ambulances, rescue equipment and tow trucks, regular enforcement operations and proper driver scheduling by transport operators to reduce fatigue and crashes.
Other stakeholders at the meeting called for greater discipline among motorists and strict enforcement of traffic laws.
They also urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to deploy toxicology testing kits along major highways for roadside testing of drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs.
The stakeholders further appealed to Very Important Personalities (VIPs) to obey traffic rules and directives from traffic officers, stressing that their status should not be used to undermine traffic management efforts.(NAN)
