[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong has expressed his readiness to collaborate with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the efforts to rid the state of undesirable road safety practices.
This was disclosed by the Deputy Governor of the state, Professor Sonni Tyoden, who received the Corps Marshal of FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi on behalf of the Governor at the Government House, Jos during an on advocacy visit by the Corps Marshal.
According to Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, the Governor said the state government has been concerned with the level of recklessness of some drivers who overload their vehicles, drive carelessly and indiscriminately use their private cars for commercial purposes. While frowning at such practices, he also identified indiscriminate construction of road bumps on the highways by some communities in the name of slowing down speeding vehicles as threats to lives of road users.
He welcome the idea of collaborative efforts between the FRSC and the state government to discourage these negative practices using public enlightenment strategies and application of sanctions. While commending the Corps Marshal for managing the affairs of the FRSC with professionalism, Professor Tyoden noted that the exemplary performance of the FRSC under his management has positioned the Corps for operational success.
Speaking further, the Deputy Governor expressed the appreciation of the state government to the FRSC for its focus on saving people’s lives and property on the road, assuring that the state government will join hands with the Corps in its determination to reposition the organisation for optimal performance through improved capacity development of its personnel. He added that the state government will study the proposal on how to make the FRSC Training School Jos more productive to serve the purpose for which it was established..
The Deputy Governor also expressed delight at the moves by the FRSC to cite a number plate embossing plant in the state to address cases of replacing defaced, lost or damaged plate numbers, noting such a plant would no doubt save the state from the stress of travelling to Abuja to effect the changes on the affected number plate. He described Plateau state as “a road-safety friendly state,” which will do all it can to support the FRSC’s operations.
Earlier in his address, the Corps Marshal applauded Governor Simon Lalong for his long standing relationship with the FRSC, citing the example of his unalloyed support for the Corps towards the approval of the National Road Safety Strategy Document by the Federal Government and subsequent inauguration of the National Road Safety Advisory Council by the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo with the Vice President as the Chairman in a Council that has six Governors representing each of the six geopolitical zones of the country, some Ministers and professional bodies as members.
According to the Corps Marshal, the inauguration of the Council was a clear demonstration of the political will by the present administration to tackle issues of road safety with all seriousness, saying the document has roles for all levels of government and non-governmental organisations in the spirit of road safety as a shared responsibility. He also commended the state government for hosting the FRSC Training School Jos as well as the zonal and sector commands and expressed the determination of his management to upgrading the Training to a Diploma awarding institution in line with the manpower development of the Federal Government.
To this end, the Corps Marshal called on the state government to play its own part in actualising the dream through provision of infrastructure and necessary facilities to facilitate the accreditation of the courses being offered by the institution. Oyeyemi announced the decision of his Management to cite a plate number embossing plant in the state, but called for provision of some necessary facilities by the state government to make the plan a reality.
In a related development, the Corps Marshal has called on staff of FRSC serving in Plateau state to rededicate themselves for improved service delivery in the determination to improve on their last year’s performances. The Corps Marshal stated this while addressing combined parade of staff of Zone 4 Headquarters; Plateau state sector command and FRSC Training Scholl, Jos as part of his activities in the state.
He commended the staff for exhibiting high sense of discipline and commitment to duties during last year’s end of year special patrol, but charged them not to rest on their oars and implored them to remain focused on enforcement of traffic rules and regulations as well as prompt response to distress calls. The Corps Marshal particularly charged the staff on the need to sustain the current tempo of enforcement on speed limiting device, saying there is no going back on the enforcement.
The Corps Marshal further assured staff nationwide of his Management’s commitment to their welfare, noting that government is not unmindful of their welfare needs and everything is being done to ensure that their salaries and allowances are paid as at when due. He further stated that while promotion exercises for last year were conducted with high level of integrity, Management is currently reviewing the syllabus of the promotion course to make this year’s exercise even more successful, giving assurances of its transparency.
Oyeyemi further stressed that Management will continue to put necessary measures in place to alleviate staff’s hardships both while in service and after the service years as evidenced by the various schemes that have been put in place to address their socio-economic needs. He enjoined staff to utilize the benefits of the schemes and plan well for their future.
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