President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on African leaders to strengthen international partnerships in order to address the alarming rise in road accidents across the continent.
Speaking at the opening of the International Road Crash Victims Africa Conference, the President—represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume—said African governments and stakeholders must urgently develop practical solutions to end the continuous loss of young, productive citizens to road crashes.
Tinubu noted that his administration is making major investments in road infrastructure aimed at boosting socio-economic activities and safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians.
He further assured that the Federal Government would continue to support global initiatives designed to drastically reduce road accidents.
Delivering the keynote address, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, stressed that strict enforcement of traffic rules and increased visibility of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel would help restore sanity on the roads.Oshiomhole criticized influential elites who frequently violate traffic laws without consequence, urging the FRSC to be firm in arresting and prosecuting offenders regardless of their social or political status.
He also emphasized the need for governments to include adequate road signage in all road construction contracts.
The former Edo State governor commended the FRSC for its leadership in promoting road safety across Africa, describing its efforts as essential to the continent’s development.
In her remarks, the Founder of Kwapda Road Safety Demand and President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, said the conference brought together road safety officials from 15 African countries, experts from the World Bank and the United Nations, as well as global NGOs, to advocate for the often-neglected victims of road accidents.
She also revealed plans to establish an International Trauma Centre in Abuja to provide much-needed support for crash victims.
The Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Mallam Shehu Mohammed, expressed confidence that the outcomes of the conference would usher in a more coordinated and effective approach to reducing road crashes in Africa.
The conference, themed “Gathering the World, Africa for Road Crash Victims,” united governments and transportation stakeholders in a shared mission to improve traffic management and save lives across the continent.