The Federal Road Safety Corps is a government agency founded in 1988, charged with the responsibility of ensuring that driving process is safe on the highway in Nigeria. As at the beginning when the FRSC started to operate in country, their functions and their great performance can’t be under estimated, maybe because the brain behind the establishment was Prof Wole Soyinka and their recruitment favours the members of Seadog confraternity which ensured discipline and accountability. Then they were respected for diligent and hard work unlike nowadays.
Occurance from recent times shows that this noble organisation had deteriorated from it’s high standards over time to mockery, their measures on statutory responsibilities have drastically reduced, they take bribe as if it their rights while stationed on local government roads, state government roads, federal government roads and tollgates. From the current look of things they might do worse than the Nigerian police if given arms, without arms the Federal Road Safety Corps has been seen to have engaged in pursuit of motorist which eventually led to fatal accidents. The Road Safety which is ment for stoppage or reduction of road accidents are now a factor causing accidents.
Another issue of the current FRSC is mounting the wrong position, these FRSC officers sometimes won’t be at their strategic points, they would rather prefer mounting less important spot for their own benefits. On my way out of Lagos this morning, we found about 10 FRSC officers Infront of Lagos state licensing office at Ojodu but from Lagos to Ibadan non of them was visible on the road, many trucks broke down on the roads coursing traffic no attention form FRSC, i also noticed unroadworthy vehicles that are danger to other motorists on the road especially commercial vehicles and trucks but the FRSC officers are no where to be found to carry out their responsibilities.
If we may ask, what exactly is the functions of this important government agency? And why are they underperforming? am pretty sure their responses will be, it’s about corruption or they are not well funded or there are nepotism in the appointment of their personnel, in my own opinion FRSC has throaway their respects and they will be needing restructuring in order to restore their old glory, it seems the current management have no clue of how important the organisation they are heading is.
Engr. Bola Babarinde, APC Chieftain writes from Ibadan, Nigeria
