05 August 2013, Lagos – The Pan Nigerian Safety Awareness Campaign, an initiative of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, in conjunction with ExxonMobil, has landed in Lagos, with a campaign held last week at the Ketu Motor Park.
The campaign, aimed at increasing the level of road safety awareness and reducing hazards on Nigerian roads, focused on three critical areas: seat belt usage, speed reduction and use of the telephone while driving.
Speaking at the event, the Manager, Public & Government Affairs, Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc, Mr. Akin Fatunke, said that ExxonMobil is supporting FRSC on the campaign to promote attitudinal change among road users in Nigeria in order to reduce road accidents.
According to Fatunke, “the national road safety initiative reflects the level of priority which ExxonMobil accords safety in all its locations of operation in Nigeria.” He added that “this campaign is a demonstration of our commitment to safety and support for Nigeria’s aspiration for accident-free roads.”
Fatunke said that ExxonMobil has a large pool of world class drivers in its fleet who have been trained in Nigeria and abroad to ensure that they imbibe best practice habits on the roads.
He also advised drivers to ensure that they use their seat belts, avoid over speeding and the use of mobile phones while driving in order to protect themselves, their passengers and other road users from avoidable road accidents.
Also speaking at the occasion, the acting FRSC Unit Commander of RS-2.17, Ojota Unit Command, Joseph Samuel Udoabba, commended ExxonMobil for partnering with FRSC on the campaign. “This campaign is a national reawakening to address the challenge of poor attitude to road use in Nigeria which has resulted in several avoidable accidents,” he said.
The Federal Road Safety Corps, working in partnership with ExxonMobil, is determined to enhance safety on our roads by promoting attitudinal change among our drivers and enforcing the road safety codes,” he said.
In his contribution, chairman of drivers union at Ketu motor park, Mr. Sunday Ogundipe, advised drivers to collaborate with FRSC to promote safety on the roads. He added that safety should be paramount on the drivers’ minds before embarking on any journey because the right habit on the wheels is a sure way to safety.
The event witnessed a mild drama when a female commercial driver, Adepetu Ajinudua, narrated her experience plying a trade dominated by men.
According to Ajinudua, the secret of her success was adherence to maximum speed limit below 100km per hour on the highway. She said that maintaining minimum speed has enabled her escape unhurt along with her passengers on three different occasions when she had burst tyres on the highway.
– This Day