By LUCY OSUIZIGBO-OKECHUKWU

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Zonal Commanding Officer, Mr Andrew Kumapayi, says the Corps will commence a road audit ahead of the opening of the second Niger Bridge in Onitsha, in October.

Kumapayi said this in his first quarter monitoring and inspection visit to the Anambra Sector Command, on Wednesday, in Awka.

Recall that the Federal Government had declared that the second Niger Bridge would be completed and opened in October 2022.

He said that the Corps was strategising on ways to cope with the expected increase in traffic when the second Niger Bridge and international passenger and cargo airport start full operation.

“We are discussing with the Sector Commanders in the zone. We have plans to commence a road audit to ascertain how to deploy personnel, patrol vehicles and work out partnerships, with other security agencies on the bridges.

“This time around, we are not going to allow the breakdown of vehicles on the new bridge to ensure free flow of traffic. The same applies to the old bridge too,” he said.

Kumapayi also lamented the rate at which FRSC officials were extorting money from motorists on highways in the zone, saying that such an act had given the commission a bad image.

He said such actions were against the Corps’ operational guidelines and urged the media and the public to report such officers to the command so that they could be punished accordingly.

On his visit to the command, the Zonal Commander said the essence was to assess the command’s performance in 2021 and suggest ways of improving their operations in 2022.

“It was discovered that over speeding was the major cause of road crashes in the zone and we plan to deploy technology to detect speeding vehicles.

“This is to ensure that we reduce traffic crashes in the zone as directed by the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi,” he said.

In his address, Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi, Sector Commander, FRSC in Anambra, said the command had stepped-up enforcement by commencing operation ‘Jiliya Nwayoo’ with a focus on speed limit devices.

Irelewuyi said the state was in dire need of a high-capacity tow truck for prompt clearing of obstruction, especially heavy-duty vehicles as well as more personnel to cover the state.

He urged motorists to obey traffic regulations and cooperate with FRSC officials in the discharge of their duties. (NAN)