The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has declared that it has the mandate to train drivers.
The corps made the declaration in reaction to a report attributed to the Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, NIIT, Zaeia, Olorogun John Onojeharho.
In the report, the NIIT boss was quoted as having said that FRSC did not have the mandate to train drivers.
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, FRSC stated: “We wish to state unequivocally that it is the responsibility of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, to ensure that drivers, motorists, and motorcyclists are properly trained on how to operate their vehicles before they are qualified to apply for the National Drivers Lincence and that there are certified driving schools to conduct such trainings with the Corps monitoring their activities to ensure compliance to standards.”
FRSC said, “consequently, the assumption that the Corps is not mandated by law to train drivers is totally out of place, considering that the mandate is contained in Section 10 (3)c of the FRSC Establishment Act 2007 wherein it is stated that part of the mandate of the FRSC is: ‘to educate Drivers, Motorists and the members of the public generally on the proper use of the highways.”
It stated too that it was important to place the term training in proper perspective as education and training were not entirely devoid of one another.
“Going by definition by Merriam Webster, Education is a field of study that deals mainly with the methods of teaching and learning, and it’s synonymic to training. Whereas, training means a process by which someone is taught a skill that is needed for an art, profession, or job.
“Furthermore, FRSC is especially concerned with the safety on the roads which has necessitated the organisation to engage in training workshops to educate fleet operators on the minimum safety standards needed to operate a fleet of commercial vehicles with 5 vehicles and above. It is also instructive to state that the Corps has the mandate to educate motorists going by the regulation quoted above.”
