Federal Government has urged stakeholders in transportation sector to redouble their efforts in tackling road accidents in the country.

Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, made the call at a forum to mark the 10th anniversary of West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO).

Mustapha said road accident remained a leading cause of death in the country, saying all hands must be on deck in creating greater awareness on need to minimise the incidents and their impact on the nation’s socio-economic activities.

‘‘Road crashes kill more than HIV and AIDS and malaria. There is someone you know who has been killed or injured in a road crash.

‘‘People are killed or injured in road crashes every day. All road crashes can be prevented. Most crashes are caused by the drivers’ behaviour and not always as a result of bad road.

‘‘The idea of a safe road in Nigeria is more of changing our driving behaviour than advocating for good road infrastructure.

‘‘We can reduce deaths and injuries due to crashes by 50 per cent if we make a commitment not to drink and drive, not to speed excessively, wear seatbelts and helmets.

“It will also reduce if we do not use phone or eat while driving, obey traffic rules and tell people about need for safe roads in Nigeria,’’ he said.

Mustapha lauded the Federal Road Safety Corps, which pioneered the establishment of WARSO, for its commitment to safer roads in the country and in the West African sub-region.

He spoke through Director of Press in his office, Lawrence Ojabor, saying the corps deserved the gratitude and support of all Nigerians ‘‘as it strives to remove major impediments to our development efforts’’.

Earlier, FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, had said WARSO was established on May 8, 2008, to integrate road safety matters of member-states.

Oyeyemi, who was represented by the Deputy Corps Marshal in charge of Operations, Ojeme Ewhrudjakpor, said the organisation had recorded notable achievements since inception.

He listed the achievements as adoption of speed limiting device by member-states, promotion of road safety education in schools across the sub-region, among others.

‘‘The tenth anniversary of WARSO provides member-states ample opportunity to reflect on the past performances of the organisation and critically review its strength and weaknesses in the face of growing road safety challenges in the sub-region.

‘‘Accordingly, the theme for the celebration, `WARSO in the Last Decade: The Journey So Far’, was chosen to enable member-states create public awareness on the activities of the organisation in the last 10 years and project future targets.

‘‘Looking back at the formation of WARSO in the last 10 years, stakeholders agreed that the vision of the founding fathers of the organisation has been vindicated as it is evidently on track.’’

The corps marshal expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the ideals of WARSO since the inception of his administration.

He assured Nigerians and other WARSO members that FRSC and by extension, the Federal Government, would not relent in their commitment to the issues of road safety in the region.