By Moses Akaigwe
The outgoing Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dauda Ali Biu, has stated that his tenure as the henchman of the commission achieved a tremendous 22 percent reduction in road traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities among other notable accomplishments.
He made thie assessment while giving his farewell message during a parade organised in his honour at the national headquarters, Abuja.
According to Biu, the mileage achieved by his administration was made possible through range of welfare packages that were brought into the workforce which became a source of motivation to the staff.
This welfare include promotion of 7188 personnel, some of whom stagnated on the same rank for 14 years, employment of 3,537 personnel, approval for the conversion of 500 personnel of marshal cadre to officers cadre, as well as approval of 500 personnel to proceed on further studies.
This is in addition to getting approval for release of funds to settle outstanding transfer allowances, improvement of FRSC Housing Scheme, secured the signing of FRSC Training Institution Establishment Act, achieved training FRSC personnel to enhance their skills and capabilities, as well as the training of FRSC paramedics and patrol operatives on casualty handling in partnership with Ford Foundation, amongst others.
The aforementioned has resulted in a 37 percent increase in the number of crash victims rescued alive from 26,180 in 2022 to 35,788 of 2023, as well as secured the appointment of Nigeria as a member of High Level Consultative Committee for the 2025 Ministerial Conference in Road Safety to be held in Marrakesh Morocco.
Other accomplishments he listed include: Strengthening partnership with stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), and the private sector, to promote a collaborative approach to road safety, and tackling rising traffic infractions such as the use of trailers and trucks to convey humans as well as mitigate carrying extra fuel in vehicles.
In addition, his administration also achieved the creation of 113 new commands, the injection of 335 patrol vehicles, improved post- crash emergency response, initiated the establishment of FRSC HMO under the NHIS and sustained road safety audit.
Expectedly, the Corps Marshal applauded the management and the entire staff of the corps for the cooperation received throughout the duration of his leadership. He said that his administration was able to achieve reasonable mileage because of the passion, commitment and resilience of the entire workforce.