Nigeria: Road safety Commences clampdown on rickety vehicles

In a bid to reduce road accidents in Nigeria, the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), has commenced the immediate clampdown on all rickety vehicles across the country, This comes following the trending video of an old car with three worn out tyres plying the highway in Sagamu, Ogun State, South-west, Nigeria.

Corps Marshall, Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Dauda Ali Biu who gave the directives in a statement by the Corps Public Education Officer said the clampdown order followed a trending video of an old vehicle with mechanical issues plying the expressway.

Abuja Sector commander, Mutaa Chorrie Isah says rickety vehicles over the years have constituted danger on Nigerian roads especially in Abuja.

“We do know that the highest factor is the human factor, but then the mechanical factor is a major component, and is removed of course. 

It is going to help largely to reduce some of the road crashes on our highways,” he said.

Adding that such vehicles deface the city and create problems for other road users.

“ We have been enforcing in the FCT for instance, doing joint patrol to boost our enforcement strategy”

The FRSC boss ordered that all Sector Commanders and Zonal Commanding officers of FRSC are to begin enforcing the new order with immediate effect. 

He added that the new order was part of the agency’s effort to reduce the occurrence of road accidents on Nigerian roads.

He noted that as a matter of fact, FRSC officials are now authorised to arrest and prosecute anyone who operates rickety vehicles on Nigerian roads.

FRSC said in recent times, there have been cases of road accidents owing to the poor maintenance of vehicles.

Some special marshals and motorists say they welcome the exercise adding it will help make the roads safer for everyone.

“There are a lot of issues associated with rickety vehicles, so it will go a long way to help reduce road crashes,” said Kate Akineh, Special Marshal and Motorist. ”

“ If it is not road worthy, then it is not expected to be on the road because you will create problems on the road, so it is better to be taken off the roads,” said Bolarin Olarewaju,another Special Marshal and Motorist.

Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its Transport Data 2018 report, stated that there were 11.8 million registered vehicles in Nigeria.

 Imported second-hand vehicles, or what is popularly called ‘tokunbo’, constituted the highest number of these vehicles as only a mere eight per cent of the about 12 million vehicles are bought new. 

The remaining 92 per cent are either second-hand or third-hand, which is a reflection of the country’s poor economic realities.

Road safety experts say of these high numbers of second-hand vehicles plying the roads, about 70 per cent of them are not road-worthy, and constitute the highest menace.