Need to curb high level militarisation of FRSC personnel
In recent time, the untoward behavior among members of FRSC to motorists and members of the public using the highway calls for concern .It is glaring to state that the statutory functions of the FRSC in the management and safety of the highway is gradually taking the forms and coloration of a trained professional Military to carry out an assault on enemy targets. Ironically, the statutory responsibilities assigned to the Federal Road Safety Corps[ FRSC]from inception of its establishment made the corps more or less civil in nature and that has been the general expectations of the overall performance of the staff of the corps manning the highway. Sadly, the dramatical change of events from being civil to militarization in recent time calls for question .
Constitutionally, the establishment of FRSC in February, 1988 through Decree NO. 45 as statute book as FRSC cap 141 laws of the Federation of Nigeria [LFN]passed by the National Assembly as FRSC as amended by Decree NO.35 of 1992 and named as by National Assembly as FRSC [est]ACT 2007 clearly spelt out the functions of FRSC as follows:
-Make the highway safe for motorists and other road users
-Recommend works and device designed to eliminate road accident
-Educates motorists and members of the public on the importance of discipline on the highway
– Preventing or minimizing accident on the highway
-Determining from time to time the requirements to be satisfied by applicants for a driver’s license
-The standardization of highway traffic code
-Clearing obstructions on any parts of the highway
-Designing and producing driver license to be used by various categories of vehicle operator
-Conducting research into causes of motor accidents
-Designing and producing vehicle plate number
-Giving proper attention and care to victims of accidents
-Determining and enforcing speed limit to all categories of vehicle.
For obvious reasons, Nigerians need to know the actual functions of the FRSC in the Nation’s highway occasioned by the frequent conflict, harassment and delay of vehicular movement by staff of FRSC managing the highway. It is however pertinent to bring to the fore the role and responsibility of the staff of the FRSC so that road users and members of the public should actually know much about the functions of the operative on the highway and of course the limitations of this agency[FRSC] Furthermore, it might equally interest Nigerians particularly the road users to note that the aforementioned statutory functions of FRSC serves as a guide for them to have clear understanding of what the agency stands for. From the foregoing, the functions of FRSC does not in anyway relates or recommend the men and Officers to bear arms in its operation or conducts to the citizens rather to make the highway safe for motorists and other road users that means the laws established it does not authorized FRSC to perform any other duty or functions that requires them bearing of arms as some individuals are clamoring for.
It is easy to say than do, sometimes I feel disappointed the way FRSC staff conduct themselves toward motorists on the highway as if they’re soldiers.
In some cases one would be surprised seeing FRSC personnel jumping into vehicles of the perceived offenders unsolicited in the name of carrying out their legitimate mandates.
To be candid, going by the functions of FRSC from the statutory book, there is no section that mandated or authorized the corps to perform any act that relates to a professional combatant in the discharge of duty as is been advanced.
This act of Militarization being exhibited by the personnel of FRSC often time exposes them and other road users to danger particularly to those who really understand the boundary and limitations of the corps, sometimes resist any violation on their right as road users consequently gave birth to disagreement or attack on the FRSC staff on the highway.
In some clime, the conducts of some FRSC staff on the highway out rightly negate its statutory functions in the discharge of duty to the members of the public and the road users.When the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC ‘’ we have lost 70 personnel in 2016 alone.
The question is if 70 of its personnel were killed in just a period of a year how many of its staff were killed since establishment of the corps 1988? Agreed, 70 of its personnel lost their lives during attack and many others maimed by motorists, what step taken by the corps Marshal of FRSC Dr Boboye Oyeyemi to get to the root causes of such an attack and maiming of its personnel in the course of performing their legitimate mandates? Is the personnel fighting insurgency or Militant in the Niger Delta ? the centrality of the whole matter revolves around moral training re-orientation of the personnel to leave up to expectation while carrying out official engagement.
Corruption has deepened and widely infiltrated the corps. Men and Officers of the corps collect bribe openly and that has reduced the respect the citizens hitherto has for them on the highway. It was clearly pointed out from the statutory book as parts of the functions of FRSC to clear any obstructions on the highway to avoid further road crash, sometimes broken down vehicle would be left unattended to in a very dangerous area on the highway thereby causing more accidents and deaths.
It is also sad to mention that one of the responsibilities of the FRSC is to research and ascertain causes of accidents on the highway to forestall future occurrences. The question now is how often has the corps carried out this important task on the highway? For instance, as professionals who is always conversant with the language of the highway is expected that they should know where the portions of the road is bad that may likely requires government attention. Such spot should be clearly identified for repair so as to mitigates road crashes.
To enhance efficient service delivery, it is instructive to state that the FRSC on a quarterly basis should organize a sensitization and enlightenment program at the major motor parks across the six Geo-political zones and the 36 states of the country including FCT to educates drivers to be disciplined and the proper use of the highway .
Apart from the drivers, the road maintenance Agency should also be sensitized and constantly mobilized to site where there are potholes. Reason being that the major causes of road crash on the highway is mainly when drivers are trying to dodge potholes, wrong over taking and dangerous parking along the highway. All these are the major areas I expected the FRSC to constantly collaborate with critical stakeholders to find ways of addressing it. Fundamentally, human minds needs regular sensitization and enlightenment campaign to enable it function effectively.
Therefore, FRSC cannot be singing the song of preventing or minimizing accident on the highway without devising appropriate workable mechanism to furnish and positively saturate the minds of the road users on the Nation’s highway without educating the public adequately as well as bringing relevant stakeholders to fashion out ways of tackling the problem bedeviling the highways. For us to have road users friendly on the highway, there is the need to proactively re-training and re-orientating the personnel of FRSC to conduct themselves in line with global best practices and in the manner that will critically reflect on the statutory functions of the FRSC.
As I said earlier, the clamoring for arms is not in the best interest of the agency considering its statutory functions. Yes, not less than 70 staff of the corps were alleged to have been attacked, but the corps hierarch failed to actually established why and what led to the killings. Professionally, FRSC is not trained to fight insurgency neither do the staff was mandated to go after kidnappers or armed robbers and if government make that mistake of granting arms to FRSC I wonder what will happen in the next couple of years. Beside, is the corps guiding government installations?.
So, what did the FRSC need gun for or to further perfect the Militarization on the highways? The quest for FRSC to carry gun, to me and many other Nigerians is needless. My candid advise to the management of FRSC is to re-strategizes their effort toward collaborating with other sister security agencies on the highway for protection as they have been doing in the past. This will enhance effective and robust service delivery to the citizens than to be granted the mandates of bearing arms.
For efficient road management and safety in Nigeria, the FRSC staff working on the highway across the country should be more civil in their approach while tackling traffic matter. There is no gain saying the obvious that Nigeria with total land mass of 910,771 square Kilometers and current population of about 170 million is the most populous country in Africa and the 7th most populous nation in the world. No doubt, with this high human population, we should expect high vehicular movement on our highway.
Be that as it may, the FRSC as the main agency for traffic management and road safety matter should critically carry out routine assessment and evaluation on its performance whether or not the corps has derailed from its original and statutory functions.
It is imperative at this junction to reiterate the commitment of Nigerians and other road users to clearly distinguish the functions of FRSC and that of VIO operating on the highway. More often than not, majority of motorists using Nigeria road get confused over the overlapping functions of FRSC and VIO . The arguments in some quarters bordered on whose responsibilities to carry out vehicle administration? FRSC or VIO? If this is done, it will go along way to prevent further backlash and clashes between road users and road administrators on their status in the discharge of duty.
There is a compelling need for both agencies to come together with sincerity of purposes to clarify members of the public on their respective functions on road safety and management in Nigeria.
Danjuma is Head, Media and Communications NOA Bauchi state.Shaibudanjuma165@yahoo.com
BY Shaibu Danjuma
