Nigeria bags excellence award in road safety management

Rotimi Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chubuike Rotimi Amaechi has cautioned motorists on abiding by road safety measures in order to save lives as life has no duplicate.

Amaechi who is also an advisory board member of the United Nations Road Safety Trust Fund (UNRSTF) said this at the maiden edition of the Kofi Annan Road Safety Award which held in Accra Ghana.

The Minister Said, “Motorists must be careful on the road. They must understand that life has no duplicate. To ensure there’s road safety, we call on road users and motorists to adhere and be obedient to the laws and order, and keep to speed limit.”

Amaechi further said, “Nigeria is amongst countries that performed credibly well to ensure there is road safety, that is why we are deemed worthy of the award”.

Nigeria won Excellence in Road Safety Management award. Other recipients of different categories of the awards are Morocco, Namibia, South Africa; and the host nation Ghana.

The Minister of Transportation who received the award on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, led the Government’s delegation. In his entourage were the Corp Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps Dr. Boboye Olayemi Oyeyemi; Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri; Assistant Corps Marshal , Corps Public Education Officer, FRSC, Bisi Kazeem; and others.

For his part, the Ghana President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who presented the awards, described road accidents as a global pandemic and public health issue that must be addressed.

He stressed the need for the award ceremony to be sustained to encourage governments on the continent to learn from global best practices.

Nana Addo urged countries on the continent to develop and implement innovative initiatives to address road accidents.

Road Safety, according to the President, is the bedrock to the development of the continent and called for all stakeholders to work together to make the roads safe.

“Let us be inspired by these awards and drive positive changes in our respective countries,” President Akufo-Addo said and expressed the government’s commitment to invest in improving the legislative, institutional and logistical capacity of Ghana to address road accidents

The government of Ghana in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, and the African Transport Policy Programme (SSATP), successfully held the maiden edition of the ‘Kofi Annan Road Safety Awards’.

The Programme had in attendance the Minister of Transportations of recipient countries; Jean Todt, United Nation Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety; and, Ministers of Transportation of recipients countries.