Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has flagged off the 2015 ember months national campaign of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to sensitise all road users on the need to adhere to safety regulations in the fast approaching Yuletide.

The governor also used the opportunity to announce the commencement of work on a site it acquired for the construction of a 100 tanker-capacity Truck Terminal at Ogidi in Idemili North Council Area of the state.

Flagging off the campaign with the theme: ‘Operation Sanity; driving safely into 2016,’ Governor Obiano explained that the establishment of a Tanker Terminal was part of initiatives by his administration to guarantee the welfare and safety of Commercial drivers passing through the state especially those of the Heavy-duty Vehicles and to stem the tide of truck and tanker accidents occasioned by lack of rest, revealing that the Terminal would designed to accommodate a guest house that can lodge at least 100 drivers per night.

Acknowledging that his administration’s partnership with the FRSC has been instrumental to the numerous success stories recorded in the State Transport Sector, Governor Obiano thanked the FRSC Corps Marshal for his numerous initiatives that have drastically complemented his ongoing efforts in ensuring safety on the roads in the state.

He said: “In collaboration with the FRSC, we have removed all abandoned vehicles along the various roads in major cities in the state, with a view to ensure a free flow of traffic. That exercise will continue in the rural areas and we are hoping that before Christmas, there will be no abandoned vehicle along the roads in Anambra State.”

He further maintained that his administration is not shelving its earlier ban on sale of alcohol and other substances capable of altering the stable state of the drivers at the parks, warning that a joint Security Taskforce has been commissioned to search out offender and ensure that they are duly prosecuted.

In his own remarks, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, said the decision to hold the flag-off in Anambra State was due to the strategic role played by the Commercial city of Onitsha in traffic management in the country as well as Governor Obiano’s genuine commitment to the success of the operations of the Corps in the state.

According to him, “Last year, the Governor committed to assisting the FRSC in ensuring free flow of traffic along the Onitsha Headbridge and Upper Iweka. He fulfilled the promise and for the first time in these areas, commuters passed with ease as if it were a public holiday. I also want to place on record, the logistic support with the medium recovery vehicle, the fully-equipped ambulance and the effective administration of the Anambra State Traffic Management Agency, ASTMA and their training at the FRSC Academy at Udi, Enugu State that has complemented what the Corps is doing in the State. This is clearly evident of your passion to save lives and your belief that the best practices you have experienced in some developed countries can be replicated here in Anambra State. We at the FRSC acknowledge and appreciate your efforts and will continue the partnership with the state.”

Also speaking, the FRSC Zonal Commanding Officer in Charge of Zone ‘5,’ Assistant Corps Marshal Shehu Zaki explained that the campaign which is an annual event is designed to sensitise the motoring public on the need to imbibe safety habits during the Ember Months which according to him, are usually characterised by increased traffic.

He said: “FRSC places high premium on ember months’ campaigns with the aim of preventing carnage and ensuring free movement of goods and persons along the roads all over the country.”

‎Also delivering their separate goodwill messages, the South-East Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Comrade Augustine Udeozor, the State Deputy Chairman, Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas, NUPENG workers, Mr. Pius Ani and a representative of the United Steel Transporters Association, Prince Iyke Anyikwa, commended the State Government and the FRSC for the initiative and assured that they would communicate the message of safety on the roads to their members, calling on government to assist in addressing some of their teething challenges.

•Photo shows Gov Obiano.

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