36,000 operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, have been deployed for nationwide end of the year special patrol operation.
This followed the directive of the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi.
His directive is to the effect that logistics, personnel and Special Marshals should be deployed nationwide to entrench safety on the roads, enforce compliance on established road traffic rules, COVID-19 precautionary measure for commuters, and secure free flow of traffic for the motoring public along all corridors and other roads.
According to Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, the Corps Marshal, also ordered strategic 24 hours observatory at commands along high volume of traffic/gridlock prone areas, establishment of 11 traffic control camps, full mobilisation of 23 help areas, full mobilisation of 46 emergency ambulance (Zebra) points, full mobilisation of road side clinics, and 24/7 broadcast on National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM.
The directive, he added, was also targetted at achieving a near zero road traffic crash throughout the end of the year.
The 2020 Operation Zero tolerance commenced from Monday, December 12, 2020 spanning through to Monday, January 15, 2021 nation-wide.
The operation which is programmed to run in shift as follows 0600hrs – 1400hrs, 1400HRS – 2000hrs, 2000hrs – 2200hrs, and night rescue teams on standby at all operational commands is billed to cover the following critical corridors: Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Birnin Kebbi corridor, Katsina-Kano-Wudil-Dutse-Azare-Potiskum corridor, Kaduna-Saminaka-Jos corridor, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridor, Okene-Ogori-Isua-Owo corridor, Makurdi-Otukpo-Obollo Afor-9th Mile corridor, Asaba-Abraka-Ughelli-Warri corridor, Ibadan-Ogere-Sagamu corridor, Sagamu-Mowe-Lagos corridor, amongst others.
Explaining some of the reasons for year 2020’s holistic approach to safer roads, Kazeem noted that the corps had observed that a key characteristics of the period over the years was an upsurge in traffic volume, impatience by motorists who might not have adequately planned their journeys, or motorists managing mechanically deficient vehicles to and fro their travel destinations.
According to him, the foregoing was known to be the major causes of chaos and indiscipline among all classes of road users, leading to crashes, fatalities, maiming of motorists and loss of property as well as traffic congestion/gridlocks.
He stated that the operation would cover the three broad areas of traffic control/decongestion, public enlightenment, and enforcement.
He stressed that the enforcement was aimed at checkmating excessive speeding, dangerous driving/overtaking, lane indiscipline/route violation, road obstructions, use of phone while driving, overloading violation, seatbelt/child restraint use violations, passengers’ manifest violations, mechanically deficient vehicles, latching and twist-locks violation, abuse of Spy number plates on private vehicles, and massive constitution of mobile courts across the nation.
Kazeem said while officers and marshals would be mobilised with the necessary materials for Rescue Operations, the Corps’ operatives would be collaborating with military units, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Directorate of State Services, NGO ambulance service providers, National Network on Emergency Road Services, and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency.
The Corps Marshal, according to the spokesman, also stated that the operatives would be charged with the responsibility of identifying alternative routes to assist motorists during gridlocks, and give notification of traffic distressed areas for intervention.
As such, he called on the motoring public to utilise all FRSC social media handles (facebook.com//frscnigeria,Instagram.com//frscnigeria, twitter.com//frscnigeria, for necessary updates and in case of emergency, call the 122 toll free number and the National Traffic Radio live lines: 08052998090, 09067000015, and 08052998012 which are available means to reach FRSC to report traffic situations anywhere in the country.
