TEXT OF THE ADDRESS PRESENTED BY THE CORPS MARSHAL AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE FEDERAL ROAD SAFETY CORPS OSITA CHIDOKA AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ORGANISED  FOR THE WORLD BANK COUNTRY CAPACITY REVIEW OF ROAD SAFETY MANAGEMENT  IN NIGERIA ON TUESDAY, 6TH JULY, 2010

Protocol

Gentlemen of the Press.

I am pleased to welcome you to this important gathering today, which is to intimate you with developments in Nigeria’s efforts at elevating the status of road safety management and practices in the country to international standards.

You are all aware of the efforts that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) as the lead agency charged with the responsibility for road safety management and administration in the country has been making not only to physically cut down the rate of road crashes in the country, but ensuring that our operations meet international standards.

In doing this, we have carried the campaign to the relevant institutions of government including the National Assembly and have been partnering with various stakeholders. We have also used every opportunity we had at the international fora to focus on the campaign, in order to sensitize our international stakeholders.

I am glad to inform you today, that the World Bank in recognition of our efforts has graciously offered to review road safety management capacity in Nigeria which will enhance our campaign against road carnage in line with global best practices.

Accordingly, Integrated Transport Planning (ITP), which is a UK based transport consultancy firm specializing in various aspects of transport planning, including road safety has been engaged by the World Bank to serve as a Consultants for the country capacity review. The consultancy firm has significant experience in carrying out road safety projects having recently reviewed and developed Road Safety Strategy for Riyadh Saudi Arabia and a similar study reviewing and developing a Road Safety Strategy for the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia.

Let me state that the objectives of a country road safety management capacity review are:

1. To set out an integrated multi-sectoral framework for dialogue with country partners and stakeholders on potential road safety investments.
2. To assess government ownership of study results and identify related institutional responsibilities and accountabilities.
3. To reach official consensus on road safety management capacity weaknesses and institutional strengthening and investment priorities to overcome them.
4. To identify safe system implementation projects to launch investment strategy.

It should be stressed that the conduct of a road safety management capacity review is a vital first step in the process of a country having the necessary actions to tailor recommendations from the World Health Organization and World Bank and in determining its state of readiness to commit to the productive and sustainable steps necessary to bring its road safety outcomes under control. It also serves to identify related institutional responsibilities and accountabilities and provides a platform to reach an official consensus on road capacity weaknesses and how best to overcome them.

In the process of carrying out this task, the team will be in Nigeria for two weeks, during which they will interact with officials of relevant government agencies, stakeholders in public and private sectors. They will also pay courtesy visits on the British High Commissioner, meet with FRSC Management, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Ministers of Health, Education, Transport, Works. Others include: Inspector General of Police and Director General, Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), stakeholders in the Federal Ministry of Information and Communications, and visits to National Hospital, Joint Tax Board, Directorate of Road Traffic Services, FCT and University of Abuja Teaching Hospital.

As part of their engagement in the country, they will also visit Mokwa -Bida - Suleja Corridor and later meet with Commissioner of Transport, Lagos State; Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); National Orthorphiadic Hospital Igbobi, University of Lagos, Leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, FRSC Commands and the Lagos – Ibadan Express Way. Their assignment will equally take them to Exxon Mobil, Chevron – Texaco/Arrive Alive Road Safety Initiative; Shell Petroleum Development Corporation and stakeholders. These will include: National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW); National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON).

Before departing the country the team will meet with the Director General of the Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) Zaria, and will review with the World Bank country office.

Gentlemen of the Press, I have gone this far to enable you understand the enormity of the challenges before the team and the expected role that government and other private agencies in the country are expected to play as we face the challenges of meeting the international standards for Road Safety practices.

Nigeria had before now been faced with a number of challenges in its road safety practices, but since the establishment of the Corps, we have been trying to deal with some of the identified challenges. These include the nation viewing Road Safety as local issues with minimal government participation, an attitude that sees road safety as a non-security matter with inadequate government investment. This led to a situation where roads were constructed without cost implication for road furniture being incorporated into its construction budget. That was why we submitted a memo to the Federal Government on the need to dedicate certain percent of cost of road construction for road safety audit and impact assessment.

With this country capacity review, it is expected that Nigeria will achieve the following:

1. Have strong institutional and legal framework on road safety;
2. Attract more funding to road safety from government and the World Bank;
3. Come up with a road map that will guide the Corps in the understanding of how its future will be;
4. Develop a clear vision and time frame for meeting road traffic crash reduction target;
5. The data collection mechanism that FRSC has established will be improved upon.

We also believe that with the review, FRSC rescue management will be incorporated into the National Health Management System of the country.

With this intervention from the World Bank, our ongoing campaign against road carnage in the country will receive enormous boost and Nigeria will join the League of Nations that have taken matters of road safety serious.

I want to therefore, use this opportunity to thank the World Bank and World Health Organization and infact, all our local and international stakeholders and partners for the interest shown in matters of road safety in the country, as evidenced by this country capacity review exercise. We also wish to thank the Federal Government for its continuous interest and investment in road safety, as we assure all our stakeholders that we will remain steadfast in our commitment to making the Nation’s roads safe for all users.
 
On this note, I call on all Nigerians; particularly the Media to assist the team in every positive way to facilitate their assignment as the country stands to benefit immensely from the exercise.

Thank you and God bless.