Nigeria, February 24, 2016 – Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya, on Tuesday spoke about his misgivings in the way officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) are doing their jobs, accusing some of them of neglecting their primary duties of making the highways safe for motorists and other road users.
Receiving key officials of the corps in his office, Igbuya pointed out that what was once acknowledged as lead agency in Africa on road safety administration and management has succumbed to the general collapse brought about by conduct of certain persons.
“If a driver finds FRSC personnel on the way, he will behave himself. That was how it started in 1988. Inducing FRSC personnel on the road was a crime. Today, the story is different. FRSC personnel even encourage inducement. We find rickety vehicles plying our roads, vehicles that are not road worthy. We also find overloaded trucks” he said.
He lamented that the corps has fallen below international standards. “The intention of those who initiated it has been defeated. Some persons want to join FRSC because they are jobless. Some want to join because of inducement. We find FRSC officials on the highway behaving like policemen. They collect money from motorists” he said.
Igbuya urged the people of the state to encourage the corps in its effort to prevent and minimize accidents on the highway. He also advised FRSC officials to educate motorists on the importance of road discipline on the highways.
“FRSC was not established for revenue generation purpose. It was principally for safety of our people. What we find now is terrible. Many road users don’t have driver’s license. Some have driver’s license but are unable to start vehicle” he added.
