AWKA – The FRSC Sector Commander, Anam­bra, Mr. Adeoye Irelewuyi, has said that roads in Anambra State occupy 15^thposition as most dangerous roads in the country.

Mr. Irelewuyi disclosure this at the Flag-off of the 2022 Ember Months Safety Campaign held in Awka.

This year’s campaign is titled, “Speeding, Overloading and Unsafe Tyres to Arrive Alive”.

Irelewuyi said, “The task of road traffic and safety management is a daunting challenge to both the gov­ernment and the citizens.

“In Nigeria, data from the Nation­al Bureau of statistics shows that Anambra roads occupy 15^thposition on the list of death trap roads in Ni­geria. We should not allow the trend to continue.

“This campaign is, however, apt to cover casualty factors which include speeding, overloading, use of unsafe tyres, drunk driving, non-use of seat belt and so on.

“The Corps is stepping up pub­lic enlightenment in motor parks, Churches, Mosque and the media. The Corps has also trained about 1,500 Neighborhood Rescue Team across the state to assist in rescue efforts”.

The sector Commander urged the residents and road users to cooperate with FRSC, especially at this Ember months period to reduce the rate of fatalities on our roads.

He appreciated the Special Mar­shals for the ongoing construction of the road side clinic project at Nteje, along Awka-Onitsha expressway, saying, it will reduce response time to crashes along the axis.

Also speaking, the Zonal Com­manding Officer, Benin Headquar­ters, Mr. Chukwuma Njoku urged drivers to be focused, concentrate while driving, ensure their vehicles were in good condition and obey traf­fic laws.

He said that travel rate, overload­ing speeding and drunk driving are some the characteristics of the Ember month period.

“Speeding is a critical offence in FRSC because it poses serious chal­lenge to other road user. We are set­ting up 24 hours traffic surveillance on the highways to ensure drivers comply with the maximum speed limit,” Njoku said.

In his Remarks, Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo who was rep­resented by the Commissioner of Transport, Mrs. Patricia Igwebuike, said his administration recognized the situation of the roads and has de­clared a state of emergency on roads in the state .

Soludo said that about 10,000 kilometers of road project had been flagged off to boost infrastructure development in the state.

He said, “This administration val­ue the lives of residents and decided to commence massive road project.

“The tragedies on our roads are avoidable, so we urge roads users to take responsibility for their lives by obeying all the traffic rules.” (Daily Independent)