The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has urged states and relevant authorities to step up enforcement of road safety regulations, particularly regarding truck standards and driver behaviour.
The FRSC spokesman, Olusegun Ogungbemide, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
He expressed concerns over the poor condition of trucks on Nigerian roads, citing issues like poor vehicle maintenance, speeding, and disregard for traffic regulations as contributing factors to road accidents.
Addressing concerns following the recent tanker explosion on the Nyanya–Mararaba expressway, Ogungbemide said that the crash was caused by a cement-laden Dangote truck.
”The truck’s brakes failed, causing it to collide with vehicles in a gridlock, sparking a fatal inferno.
“At the time of rescue operations, our priority was evacuation. But from preliminary investigations, it was not a CNG truck,” he said.
Ogungbemide said Nigeria does not have a national policy on restricting the movement of articulated vehicles during specific hours, leaving states to devise their own controls.
“At the national level, there is no policy that determines when trucks and tankers are expected to move. There’s no restriction of movements.
“The concern of the Federal Government is the safety of all vehicles while on the road, which FRSC, the lead agency in road safety management, has been doing.
“I am aware that different states now have their own regulations as regards the movement of vehicles that are articulated ones.
“One of such regulations is to increase the trip time and also to reduce the rate of crashes involving these articulated vehicles.
“I can tell you that after that incident in Nyanya-Mararaba, we got to know that the FCT has a regulation that between 3p.m. and 10p.m., articulated vehicles are expected to stay off the highway.
“This is expected to be the peak period when people are returning home, and it also states that the early hours too, between 6am and 12pm in the morning, they are also expected to stay off the highway.
“I also know that our FCT command has also been working with other agencies to get this implemented, but the strength of that enforcement is what I cannot really say now,” he said.
Ogungbemide maintained that all the policies the FRSC had put in place over the years have reduced the rate of crashes involving those categories of vehicles.
He, however, added that due to the difficulty in stopping moving trucks, particularly those carrying inflammable content, the FRSC collaborated with loading depots.
According to him, these vehicles have outlived their usefulness and posed significant hazards on Nigerian highways, but the FRSC policies have really assisted us.
“One such example is the Corps’ Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS), introduced in 2007, which remains a key framework for regulating fleet operators with more than five vehicles.
“No petroleum, diesel, or gas truck is expected to be loaded without our safety clearance. We now emphasise pre-loading checks to prevent unsafe trucks from hitting the road.
“Operators under the scheme are monitored, their vehicles inspected regularly, and drivers trained. It’s part of our long-term solution to articulated vehicle crashes,” he added.
Ogungbemide warned that no safety policy can succeed without first addressing the quality of vehicles being allowed into the country.
The FRSC spokesperson stressed that the high dependence on road transport, due to weak alternatives like rail and waterways, continued to put enormous pressure on the highway network.
“Until other modes of transport are developed, the risks on our roads will remain high. But we are doing all we can with the tools we have,” he said.
Ogungbemide said the corps would release the full report on the Nyanya–Mararaba crash investigation once concluded.
He reaffirmed the FRSC’s commitment to safer highways across the country. (NAN)
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