Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (APRI) has called on Nigeria GOVERNORS of States to equip their respective Vehicle Inspection Agencies and their officers.
This statement was made by the group’s Executive Director Prince Fidelis Nnadi in a press release on the current increasing rate of road accidents on Nigeria roads.
According to the statement, Nnadi appealed to the Governors to rise in defence of innocent road users and vehicle occupants that are being exposed to risk of road accidents caused partly by poor standard of vehicles used in conveying people and goods. “The Governors who are the Chief security officers of States should direct their attention to the poor quality and standard of their respective road traffic/vehicle inspection officers whose responsibility are directed in the road worthiness of vehicles and other road traffic matters,” Nnadi said.
Stressing further, Prince Fidelis Nnadi warned that the Federal Road Safety Corps cannot alone, solve the problem of road accidents in Nigeria except and when the Governors rise to equip their own agencies towards complimenting the efforts of FRSC.
“We have three categories of roads which are classified as trunk A B and C of which the Federal agency are responsible for class A roads while States and Local governments are responsible for B and C roads respectively and these roads have recorded high loss of lives and property to which the Governors should be more concerned to upgrade the quality of their respective State agencies in this direction.
“While commending many of the governors for their resolve and actions in improving and funding security network in the states, the road traffic/vehicle inspection officers and agency should be carried along as they are also part of the security network,” Nnadi stressed.
Nnadi faulted Kaduna and Nasarawa State governors for banning their respective Vehicle Inspection Officers and agencies on whatever reason but advised that the best that they ought to do is to improve on their capacity through training and retraining with adequate funding with the objective to serve and deliver on their mandate.
“It is our appeal that the governors should unban the Vehicle Inspection agency in their States towards complimenting efforts in the safety of road users and vehicle occupants with a view to reducing our road crash death and injury index,” he concluded.
