Meantime the Federal Road Safety Corps has  said that it would soon embark on the ranking of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory with regard to their commitment and funding of road safety campaign programmes. The FRSC said that the annual review of states which would entail the peer review of all the states of the Federation and Abuja would be conducted for the purpose of ranking the states according to their commitment to the provision of safety on their roads.

The FRSC Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, Mr. Osita Chidoka, disclosed  that the peer review initiative was part of the measures aimed at eradicating death in road crashes in the country. The FRSC Corps Marshal added that the corps had already set up committees made up of professional organisations, transport unions and the academia that would conduct fair assessments of each of the states of the Federation.

“Part of the parameters outlined for this ranking is the level of funding of Vehicle Inspection Officers and road traffic agency in each state. This ranking which would be held across the states of the Federation is being conducted within the next few weeks,” he said.

Chidoka noted that the initiative would assist in the realisation of the United Nations Decade of action aimed at reducing by 50 percent road accidents and casualties globally by year 2020.

“This is still not the ultimate aim of Nigeria, as a National Road Safety Strategy document has been developed for Nigeria to envision a country where road traffic crashes would result in zero death. This vision as challenging as it may look, is achievable,” he added.

The FRSC boss also urged state governments and agencies managing ambulance services in the country to harmonize their road safety operations with the agency’s emergency number.

Also speaking at the occasion, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, explained that each of the ambulances will be manned by a crew of trained personnel who have undergone specialist training, adding that a communication system has been put in place to enable rapid response to all emergencies.

Dr. Soyinka submitted thus: “We have a fleet controller on call at all times, seven days per week who will be in contact with all ambulances and accidents and emergency centers .We are collaborating with the Federal Roads Safety Corps and I am pleased to announce that use of the emergency number 122 that now works on the major networks is available for us to use.

Government is committed to build up the emergency services to respond to more than just road accidents and trauma situations”.

He advised road users to develop an attitude of zero tolerance to dangers behaviors on the roads.