THE Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has said it was going to enforce the social distancing measure of the federal and state governments in all passenger vehicles on Nigerian roads.

This is also as various transport associations in the country has promised to comply with the regulation and order of the government as it concerns the number of passengers their members should carry andCorps Public Education Officer, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, who spoke to the Vanguard on phone, said: “The Corps Marshal has directed that all Corps members should commit to the Federal Road Safety’s resolve towards sustaining existing collaborations with the federal and state governments in the fight against coronavirus.”

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Kazeem said with the alarming spread of the virus across the globe, FRSC was not ready to treat any enforcement that will lead to its containment with kids gloves.

He added that the corps marshal has instructed commanding officers to ensure full utilisation of the workforce through effective deployment of personnel to arrest, without hesitation, any motorists who contravenes the order by the president.

However, the Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association (PTONA) an umbrella body of Inter-State passengers transport in the country, has promised that its members will comply with the directive but appealed to federal government to help it cushion the effects of the losses its members will incur as a result of compliance.

In a letter addressed to the office of the Vice President/Chairman, Presidential Economic Sustainability Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic, Prof. Yemi Osibajo, the association made three demands which included that government should set up N20 billion COVID-19 intervention fund with Bank of Industry to assist them replenish their fleet on single digit loan of 5 per cent with a moratorium of six to eight months.

They also appealed to the Federal Government to grant them special concession of five per cent on import duties payable on buses, in addition that the Federal Government should direct the Central Bank to prevail on all commercial banks to restructure all terms loans for businesses mostly affected by COVID-19 Pandemic.

The letter signed by the chairman and the secretary, Engr. Isaac Uhunmwagho and Frank Nneji, respectively read in part: “Our operating capacity and income will equally be impacted negatively because of the need to comply with the guidelines issued by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on social distancing which now implies spacing of passengers in our buses”.

Meanwhile, the Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria, TOAN, one of the country’s largest tricycle operator unions, also issued a circular advising its affiliated members to limit the number of passengers they carry in their tricycles and as well comply to the wearing of face masks and sanitisation of frequent contact points in the vehicles.

Explaining why the association issued the circular, TOAN President, Augustine Apeh, said: “We at TOAN encourage Keke operators affiliated to us to do their utmost to support the populace in these difficult times.

“We shall do everything we can in line with different safety directives as issued by the Federal Government and health agencies, while ensuring the public has access to what has been identified as one of the safer modes of public transport in this situation.”
tricycle seems to be one of the safer choices.”