The Federal Road Safety Commission was established in 1988 and it was the prevalence of varieties of menaces on Nigerian roads and highways which propelled the then Military President General Ibrahim Badamosi Banagida in 1988 to find a lasting solution to the menace.
This resulted in the establishment of the Federal Road Safety Commission for the purpose of sanitizing our roads and highways, particularly the statutory functions include: Making the highways safe for motorists and other road users as well as checking road worthiness of vehicles, recommending works and infrastructures to eliminate or minimize accidents on the highways and educating motorists and members of the public on the importance of road discipline.
From all indications they have deviated from their primary responsibilities as they even man roadblocks on local government roads, extort money for various offences ranging from Custom papers, Roadworthiness, Insurance and many more.
They seldom check tyres, C-Cautions, seat belts and other important parts of the vehicle safety apparatuses but now
constituting nuisances and collecting tolls like touts in uniform at different parts of Lagos
The FRSC officials at Lagos office at Ojodu where they share same office with Lagos State vehicle inspection agency have been notorious for the indiscriminate and unlawful impound of vehicles while subjecting the drivers or owners of such vehicles to intimidation and embarrassment that has continued to elicit complaints for Nigerians going by the level of with impunity exhibited by this officials.
We are all witnesses of the issues that warranted the#EndSars protests and unfortunate incidences that consequentially led to havoc and breakdown in society which was as a result of irresponsible enforcement by the now disbanded SARs officers, the FRSC officials are treading the route of overzealous enforcement and one wonders the situation if they were given arms and if they won’t be worse than SARS. Parrotrepporters have photos and videos of a young man that drove the Chairman of APC SA Chapter from Airport to his house and on returning after dropping him, his vehicle was stopped and the young man was embarrassed and his tyres deflated because they insisted he must produced Customs paper.
Government must set up a monitoring task force to checkmate the activities of the unscrupulous officials that are becoming more in numbers amongst the cadre, fish out perpetrators of illegal practices and enforcements for punishment or dismissal while implementing capacity building through training on civil engagement for the establishment of a better trained and managed Federal Road Safety Corps than than these present situation that obtains now bedeviled by unruly individuals tarnishing the image of FRSC and the lofty purpose it was created for by the founders.
