THE INTRIGUES OF ROAD SAFETY IN NIGERIA

Road Traffic Accident (RTA) is a common occurence on Nigeria roads. Its effect is ernomous, but the more devastating is the gruesome pain its causes its victims before life is finally sniffed out. RTA has been reported by experts as among causes of National economic retrogression and poverty to families which presently is affecting Nigeria as a nation and many families that are affected cannot be healed of its traumic effect.

Road Traffic Accident Prevention in developed and developing countries should be a priority and tackled with a view to ensuring seccurity of lives and properties of road users, which to a large extent is the responsibility of government. It is however unfortunate that Governments, organized transport Unions and Associations are yet to improve realistically on their responsibilties to the safety of road users. While roads are designed and constructed, little or no consideration is made for safety facilities to guide and protect road users, particularly motorists and other class of road users. Motor Vehicle drivers account to substantial cause of road traffic accidents resulting to injuries and deaths.

In Nigeria, driver training is not institutionalised while driver licensing and other motor vehicle related matters are shared between Federal, State/FCT Government authorities. This has created disharmony and controversies among these authorities considering that driver certification and licensing and other issues of Motor Vehicle Administration is the constitutional responsibilities of State/FCT Governments. In view of this shared responsibility, driver license are obtained through racketers and non unauthorized persons by unqualified drivers and persons seeking to obtain official instrument of identification without any of these authority held responsible.

Driver License is a legitimate instrument of identification globally and is an instrument of identification for financial transactions in Banks and other related institutions even though these institutions are versed in the verification of the genuineness driver license. Same is applicable to vehicle number plates which are printed and sold to unsuspecting motorists by insider syndicates. It is however obvious that fake driver license, number plates and related motor vehicle documents are in circulation caused by duplication of functions and compelled partnership between the FRSC and State/FCT Road Traffic Agency.

These and other controversial issues in the administration of motor vehicle between the Federal Road safety Commission and State/FCT Road Traffic Agency are among causes of the present unprecedented rise in road traffic accidents in Nigeria. While the VIOs (State/FCT Road Traffic Agency) claim authority and responsibility for the printing, issuance of vehicle number plates, based on CAP 548 LFN, the FRSC rely on its 2007 amended Act to assume authority over motor vehicle administration thereby raising the question as to who actually should be held responsible for the lapses in road traffic/safety management, certification and licensing of drivers, including the functions that are presently shared by the two authorities.

However, the Decree that established the Federal Road Safety Commission prior to its 2007 amendment is specific on the role of the Commission which is on road safety. Consequently the Commission has abandoned its unique primary function of road safety enforcement and has focused on road traffic enforcement, a situation that has brought the commission in enviuos conflict with the State Road Traffic Agency which has in all aspect been weakend in performance by the incursion of FRSC into their functions, all to the detriment of innocent road user’s safety, but from all indications, Lagos State and Federal Capital Territory have resisted the incursion of the commission into their functions.

While the principles of function demarcation between the Federal and State/FCT road traffic agencies is obvious and established, many State Governments have neglected their responsibility to establish and equip their Road Traffic Agencies and it will be inhuman for the Federal Road Safety Commission to hesitate in taking over their functions towards ensuring safety of road users, even though the Commission, by viture of complimenting efforts, is expected to advise and encourage the State Governments to establish and equip their road traffic agencies towards efforts in safety of road users estimated at 80% of Nigeria population of 140million people. Incidentally, both agencies were fashioned to ensure safety of lives and properties of road users.

It is estimated that over 35,000 (Under reported) people are killed annually by Road Traffic Accident in Nigeria, but despite its daily occurance, the Federal and some State Government are yet to respond positively in tackling the carnage, except Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory Administration that have deployed resources for effective enforcement of road traffic regulation to ensure adequate safety of road users and sanity in the road transport sub-sector The expressed views of stakeholders in various forum on Road Safety administration recommends the merging of the Federal Road Safety Commission with the Federal Ministry of Works/Transport towards regulating the safety use of road, making inputs in road design, engineering and certification of safety on road construction as roads are constructed without consideration for the safety of other classes of road users and safety facilities. All these are some of the issues for Government to tackle towards curtailing road traffic accidents in Nigeria.

Prince Fidelis Nnadi is the Executive Director, Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (APRI) and writes from Abuja Nigeria. http://accisafety.kabissa.org