By Chris Ochayi
ABUJA – Barring any last minute changes in policy direction, the Federal Government, will from Tuesday, kick-off arrests and prosecution of vehicle owners with substandard and fake types plying the highways across the nation.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Engr. Babachir David Lawal, who disclosed this at a stakeholders forum on the use of tyres organised by the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, yesterday in Abuja, said the administration cannot continue to tolerate senseless destruction of lives and property as resuldt of fake and substandard tyres.

Lawal, who was represented by Pyllis Nwokedi, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties at the SFG, at the stakeholders forum themed, “promoting safety tyre use in Nigeria” regretted that the nation was of recently exposed to carnages on the highways attributed to tyre blow out.

According to him, “Of recent, however, the nation is once again exposed to cases of frequent road carnages that are attributable to tyre blowout due to expiration, inappropriate inflation or wrong use of tyres.

“As a responsible government, this administration cannot continue to tolerate senseless destruction of lives and property of the citizenry on the roads through use of tyres that are either fake, expired or non conducive for our environment.

“To this end, government is in full support of the stakeholders’ forum on tyres being organised by the FRSC and would continue to render necessary support for the initiatives of the Corps through development of the capacity of the staff and provision of logistics and infrastructure for its operational success.

“This forum is a veritable platform for relevant stakeholders to join hands in making inputs that could address the frightening cases of road crashes resulting from inappropriate use of tyres which the nation is currently witnessing.

“It is therefore, expected that participants would make use of the opportunity provided by the forum to make useful suggestions that would form part of the resolutions that could address the menace of tyre- related crashes being witnessed in the country,” he said,

Wooing back other tyres manufacturing companies which have left the country, the SGF, said, “Let me also use this opportunity to call on tyre manufacturing companies which relocated from Nigeria over the years due to harsh economic environment in the country at the time, that things are changing for better.

“This administration is committed to creating transparency in business environment and enunciation of policies that could motivate investors to invest their funds in profitable business activities in the country.

“It is, therefore, my hope that all companies including those engaged in tyre manufacturing which relocated from the country some years back, would see reasons to be convinced by the sincerity of purpose being displayed by the present administration in creating conducive business environment for genuine investors for them to be motivated to return,” he said.

In his remarks, the Crops Marshall of Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi disclosed that between 2011 -2015, about 5,288 vehicles involved in road crashes across the country were caused by worn out or sub-standard tyres.

He said most recently, between 29 February and 8April, 2016, a total of 70 road traffic crashes recorded was attributable to tyre burst stressing that non-compliance with instructions on tyres, arbitrary gauging of tyres without recourse to manufacturer’s specification has become very common.

According to him, ”Control of tyres coming into the country is made difficult as there are no longer tyre manufacturing companies in the country, re-boring/patching of worn out tyres instead of purchasing new ones, pot holes and failed portions of the road affect the life span of tyres”

He said that ‘despite these risks, care for tyres and rudimentary safety precautions are mostly neglected among vehicle owners in Nigeria’.

Oyeyemi stated that FRSC efforts to stem the tide before now includes, ”Pre-trip vehicles inspection programme at motor parks aimed at encouraging drivers to inspect their vehicles before embarking on a journey, the commercial drivers are not being educated on the need to examine their vehicles regularly.

He also encouraged drivers to undergo these preliminary tests, improving fleet regulation and sustain stakeholders’ consultation, collaborate with States on improved road safety administration as well as improve enforcement and public education” among others

Oyeyemi also appealed to government to ensure the reduction of tarriiff placed on imported tyres into the country.