Federal Road Safety Corps, has urged stakeholders in the transport sector to support the organisation’s target to reduce road crashes and deaths by 50 per cent before 2030.

Corps Marshall, Boboye Oyeyemi, made the call at a church service to mark the end of the United Nations Global Road Safety (UNGRS) Week held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Maryland, Awka.

Oyeyemi said FRSC as a member of UNGRS deemed it fit to join the world body in celebrating the 2019 edition being the fifth in its series, with the theme: “Leadership for Road Safety”.

He said the target was in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target, saying the aim was to provide safe, accessible, affordable and sustainable transport for all by 2030, and Nigeria was a part of the global community that signed the SDGs.

Oyeyemi said FRSC would continue to provide leadership for the safety of the road transport sub-sector, urging governments at all levels, civil society organisations and policy makers to demonstrate leadership in their own spheres of influence.

He said the day was, therefore, targeted primarily at civil society organisations and policy makers in charge of road safety, saying the advocacy all through the week has followed a multi-faceted approach, highlighting the risks people face in their travels.”

The corps marshall, who spoke through Sector Commander in Anambra, Andrew Kumapayi, promised that the corps would continue to take action that would improve road safety management, calling on government agencies, corporate bodies and other stakeholders to make roads, vehicles and road users safer.

In a sermon, the Parish Priest of the church, Reverend-Father Fabian Anumba, lauded the FRSC for their unrelenting efforts at ensuring that roads were safe for all.
Anumba said transportation was important for the gospel to reach the ends of the earth.

He urged the FRSC personnel to carry out their jobs diligently with love for God and man so that they would reap bountiful reward in the end.

Also, Chairman, Catholic Men’s Organisation in the church, Prof. Eugene Nwanna, cautioned FRSC personnel to desist from standing in the middle of the road to flag down moving vehicles as they had to be alive to discharge their responsibilities to the nation.

Nwanna said FRSC should adopt technology in tracking drivers, who refused to stop for checks, while lauding their efforts at protecting lives of Nigerians on the highway.