By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has graduated no fewer than 20 participants of Senior Course One of the FRSC Command and Staff College, Udi, Nigeria on Thursday.

Delivering his address at the graduation, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, said that the graduating participants are the touch bearers as they must keep showing the difference between their former self and reformation arising from their encounter with the college.

Oyeyemi advised the participants, after undergoing the six months intensive course, that they must up their games, adding that they needed a considerable level of agility, astuteness, dedication and commitment to duty to excel.

According to him, your success will be measured by your loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria which has given you the opportunity to serve at the various levels and to further prepare you for higher grounds.

He said: “As a matter of fact, with the conclusion of this course, the Corps has become more open to foreign service in fulfillment of sub-regional nations seeking technical assistance to establish their own Road Traffic Agencies.

“It follows, therefore, that some of the course participants could be seconded for such missions soon and (the college will) accept participants from the Anglophone countries to attend both the senior and junior courses.

“Aside from the foreign mission, the course participants will be departing to their various stations to join hands with other personnel to sustain the implementation of the six relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2020-2030”.

The corps marshal said that the FRSC was forging ahead with its efforts to ensure that the desired behavioral change by all road users is achieved in the country.

“The National Traffic Radio (NTR) 107.1 FM, inaugurated in 2019, transmitting 24/7 in five languages namely: English, Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and pidgin English have remained a veritable avenue for dissemination of road safety education, entertainment, interactive and for reporting.

“This too must be sustained while efforts are on to complement it with the National Traffic Television in the near future,” he said.

In an address, the Secretary to the Government of the Federal (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, said that he was optimistic that the graduating participants would bring their new knowledge to bear in the reduction of road crashes nationwide.

Mustapha, who was represented by a Permanent Secretary, Dr Morris Mbaeri, said: “I sincerely urge the graduating participants of Senior Course One to put to good use lessons learnt at college to make Nigeria safer and reduce road traffic crashes to the barest minimum.

“I must command the focus of the Corps Marshal and management team of the FRSC for setting this college and nursing to a success, which is culminating to today’s graduation. Thank you for doing a good job,” he said.

Speaking, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, said that the Armed Force Command and Staff College had continued to help security agencies in the country to build their personnel capacity and produce quality manpower.

Irabor, who was represented by Maj.-Gen. Julius Oni, lauded the FRSC for following the Armed Force Command and Staff College road map and direction to set-up a formidable FRSC Command and Staff College culminating in the graduation of the first set of participants.

“I commend the FRSC, its Corps Marshal and management for fighting hard and persisting in its quest to have a college for the training of high level manpower for road safety in Africa. I say congratulations.

“I will want the corps to keep the existing synergy and collaboration with the armed forces since it will be of great benefit to the issue of safety of our people especially on road safety,” he said.

The Chairman of FRSC Board, Mr Bukhari Bello, lauded the participants for successful completion of the course and being of best behaviour during the course.

Bello said that the corps was indebted to President Muhammadu Buhari, the SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha and Enugu State Government for their continuous support.

“The Federal Government notwithstanding its limited resources, has made it possible for FRSC to have additional institutions especially the high level manpower training Command and Staff College,” he said.

In a goodwill message, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, extolled the new college for producing quality manpower within a short time of its establishment and pushing higher to break other frontiers.

“I want to thank the Corps Marshal and the commandant of the college and other staff for taking the pain to go through the rigors of the formative stage of this college.

“I challenge the graduating participants to bring out innovation and measures to improve road safety and reduce road crashes in the country,” he said.

In a welcome address, the Commandant of the college, Deputy Corp Marshal Nseobong Akpabio, said that the 20 graduating participants are from the rank of chief route commanders and above; while they had intensive course activities in the last six months.

Akpabio charged the graduating participants to up their games and do more to be more resourceful, dedicated and bringing new innovative ideas to better the corps and its mandate.

“20 participants started the course on Oct. 27, 2021 and all of them are successfully graduating today out of the college and they are well-equipped in command strategy, command administration, command communication and underwent learning tours to various security agencies within the country,” he said.

It would be recalled that the FRSC Command and Staff College is a single service institution established to train middle-level Tactical and Operational officers.

It was established in January 2020 as FRSC Command and Staff College and Assistant Corps Marshal Nseobong Charles Akpabio (then), was appointed as the pioneer Commandant of the College.

Before the Establishment of the FRSC Command and Staff College, the Corps did send officers to Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) Jaji for either Junior or Senior Course based on availability of slots for the Corps. The Products of the College have been a good representation of AFCSC.

To beef up the capacity of our middle-level manpower of the officers’ corps, the Federal Road Safety Commission gave approval for the establishment of FRSC Command and Staff College in January, 2020.

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