…reaffairms commitment to greater partnership with the frsc
By Nkechi Eze
The Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA) has commended the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, for his swift and effective responses to emergencies, noting that his actions align with the resolutions of the Technical Committee aimed at preventing tanker-related road crashes.
ACM Olusegun Ogungbemide, the Corps Public Education Officer, CPEO in a signed statement disclosed that the commendation came during the courtesy visit of the members of the Technical Committee to the Corps Marshal at the FRSC National Headquarters Abuja on Thursday, 20 March, 2025.
ACP Olusegun further disclosed that the delegation led by the Executive Director in charge of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retail Infrastructure, Engineer Ogbugo Okoha who represented Authority Chief Executive, Engineer Faruk Ahmed expressed delight at the responsiveness of the FRSC personnel to road traffic crashes and other emergencies across the country.
He stressed the need to strengthen the existing relationship between the NMDPRA and the FRSC, saying the Corps’ contributions to issues of road safety have made the assignments of the Technical Committee much easier as human and material loses from such road crashes have been reduced to the minimal.
“We must commend the FRSC Corps Marshal and thank him for the personal dedication he has continued to display towards road related emergencies and other safety issues in the country which other agencies must learn from,” he stated.
The Executive Director further disclosed that after the committee sat to review cases of tanker related crashes, they came to the conclusion that there have been significant reduction in the rate and fatalities of tanker related crashes, but dismayed at what happened in the evening of Wednesday at Kugbo area along Abuja-Nyanya expressway. He further expressed satisfaction with the personal presence of the Corps Marshal which he said, increased the morals of the rescue teams and quickly restored normalcy to the chaotic situation.
While appreciating the vital roles being played by the FRSC in the work of the Technical Committee, Engineer Okoha stressed that the initiatives such as the “Safe To Load and regular interface with drivers on the highways to determine their compliance to the minimum safety standards and resting time to avoid fatigue induced crashes have made the participation of the Corps most imperative”.
“There is urgent need for regular training and retraining of the drivers and their motor boys as well as certification and recertification of the vehicles as necessary measures that must be taken to address incessant cases of tanker related crashes.” He said.
The Corps Marshal in his response, appreciated the team for the visit and expressed the readiness of the FRSC to partner with relevant stakeholders in addressing the menace of road traffic crashes in the country.
He particularly expressed pleasure with the commitment being shown by the Technical Team and restated that the Corps will remain active in rendering necessary inputs towards the attainment of the goals of the Committee.
Additionally, Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed expressed the need for sustained collaboration with the Committee and robust engagement with the drivers through robust enlightenment programs.
While expressing dismay at the reoccurrence of crashes that claimed lives against the zero death from crashes set by the United Nations in its ongoing decade of Action campaign, he attributed such unfortunate incidents to low educational capability of the drivers and stressed the need to use all necessary avenues to bring them to the track.
The Corps Marshal thanked all the security agencies for their unwavering support to the FRSC, especially in the area of prompt response to road emergencies. This he said, is creating new spirit of inter-agency collaboration that could be the answer to the safety and security challenges facing the country.
Among those in the delegation were the Exercise Director in charge of Health, Safety, Environment and Community, Engineer Mustapha Lamode, some senior Management staff of NMDPRA and representatives of other Security agencies and Stakeholders that formed the Technical Committee.
