WORRIED by the rising cases of road traffic crashes involving petroleum tankers in parts of the country, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi has directed strict enforcement of safety standards on petroleum tankers, while urging the operators to comply with the provisions of Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS).

From left: Deputy Corps Marshal, Charles Theophilus; Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi and Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Kenneth Minimah during a visit to the FRSC headquarters by the Chief of Army Staff.

Reacting to reports of the crashes in Onitsha, Anambra state and Iyana-ipaja in Lagos, recently, the Corps Marshal stated that while the Onitsha crash which occurred on Sunday, 31st  May, 2015, claimed 46 lives with 5 people sustaining various degrees of injury, the Iyana-Ipaja crash caused destruction of several vehicles, even though no life was lost in the incident.

He further pointed out that the two incidents threw the nation into mourning mood with enormous economic loses, adding that with the combined efforts of other stakeholders, the wreckages caused as a result of the crashes have been cleared and normalcy has returned to the areas.

Oyeyemi, recalled that FRSC in its efforts to avert such fatal crashes involving articulated vehicles proactively launched the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme in 2007, which made adequate provisions for regular training and retraining of the tanker drivers as well as maintenance of vehicles by fleet operators who must have safety managers that are professionals.

He stressed that the scheme provided for regular safety checks by the FRSC and other relevant agencies to ensure that vehicle standards are carefully observed by fleet operators and drivers, expressing concern, however, that despite such measures, some operators fall short of the standards which compromise the safety of other road users.

“This attitude must change henceforth, as we would no longer tolerate disobedience to safety rules and regulations and would promptly punish anyone that commits offences capable of compromising safety of other road users,” he warns.

The Corps Marshal, while commiserating with the families of the bereaved, assured that all necessary measures were being taken to ensure that the nation does not experience a repeat of the calamity, stating that he is in touch with relevant unions like NUPENG and NARTO and other stakeholders on how to avert future re-occurrence.

“FRSC is working in concert with all stakeholders to ensure that our roads are made safer for all travelers. We have directed our commands to strictly enforce vehicle safety standards as provided for in the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme on all vehicles operating on the nation’s highways including the tankers.