5th December, 2011
The Lagos State Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Jonas Agwu and the Temidayo Ogan Child Safety and Support Foundation, TOCSS, led a road show at the weekend to campaign against accidents on the state’s highways.
The event, organised by TOCSS Foundation, is its 5th annual road safety/road show 2011. About 80 people including officials of the FRSC, Vehicle Inspection Officers, VIOs, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, among others took part in the road show.
The procession took off from Ojodu, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, through Ifo Local Government area of Ogun State to the Lagos State Television and ended at the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The event seeks to scale up the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety and to promote all road safety activities that involve children as projected by the World Health Organisation through the Violence and Injury Prevention programme.
Speaking, Agwu said the walk was to sensitise Lagosians on the need to be safety conscious while driving, especially when there were children in the vehicles.
He decried a situation where parents carry their children in the front seat while driving without providing the necessary safety means for them.
On drivers taking alcohol before driving, the FRSC commander said the commission had been going round parks to sensitise drivers not to drink while driving and also ensure that drivers plying inter-state routes did drink before embarking on a journey.
Executive Director, TOCSS Foundation, Mrs Dayo Ogan said this year’s campaign was aimed at advocating for child restrain law in Nigeria and the enforcement of the use of seat-belt.
“Children below 12 years should not be made to seat in the front seat of cars. We demand for improved pedestrian safety. Many Nigerians do not know the zebra crossing sign. We demand for the political will to help actualise our fight for road safety.
“This year’s walk is different because we engaged the FRSC, VIO, LASTMA and religious organisations. We are crying and clamouring for change. Road accidents are killing more people than malaria. By 2030, if nothing is done, more people will be killed. Let us give attention to road safety,†she stated.
According to Ogan, statistics have it that 50 million people die in accidents annually worldwide, while calling for concerted fight against accidents by improving road safety in the country.
— Kazeem Ugbodaga