Isiyaku Ahmed
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Kano territorial office in conjunction with Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kano Road and Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Red Cross, Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other stakeholders flagged off operation safe Eid-kabir sensitization campaign on Sunday.
Stallion Times reports that the campaign under the operation eagle eye/operation zero tolerance was organized to enlighten commuters and motorists on the dangers of over speeding and any other reckless driving.
Speaking during the event at Tashar Rami, Zaria Road Flyover motor park, the Director General, NEMA, Alh Mustapha Habib who was represented by Kano Coordinator, Malam Sunusi Ado fsi said the exercise provided an avenue for NEMA to complement efforts of the FRSC in minimizing road traffic crashes along major roads and ensure prompt intervention in the country.
He said: “The exercise will provide a platform for awareness creation, sensitization of road users, and effectively response to road emergencies and caution road users on driving carefully at all times, adhere to all-safety measures and strict enforcement of traffic rules and regulations as part of measures to enlighten road users during and after the yuletide.”
The DG expressed NEMA’s profound appreciation to all stakeholders and appeal for the need of mutual understanding, trust, equal and as well as reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks as key to recording greater success in the future.
He also appealed to the masses to use the power of social media as an effective tool in disaster response, adding that NEMA is always ready to cooperate with stakeholders in disaster management activities in Kano.
In his remarks, the Kano Sector Commander, FRSC, Zubairu Mato said: “today is a day we set out to go around to educate drivers and other road users so as to reduce road crashes to the barest minimum.
“Usually, this period use to come with a lot of challenges whereby drivers tend to carry over loads of passengers as well as goods, which when a crash happens, we use to have a high number of causalities.
“In view of that we are appealing to drivers to drive safely and to always obey traffic rules and regulations, as well as to avoid carrying over loads of passengers and goods.”
He also appealed to passengers not enter vehicles that are overloaded with goods or people.
He said by obeying these simply road rules and regulation, drivers will save lives.
The Managing Director, KAROTA, Ibrahim Bala cautioned drivers on driving during raining season, “driving in the raining season is quite different from dry season, if the road is wet, it is always slippery and dangerous,” he warned.
He said KAROTA is fully prepared to man the 160 traffic beats in the metropolis with not less than two personnel.
The agency will deploy 1900 personnel to control traffic and 1000 on road patrol to ensure compliance of traffic rules and regulations during the Sallah celebrations is accident free, he added.
He noted that KAROTA has 9 recovery or towing vehicles for trucks and 7 sliders that are on the standby for breakdown or abandoned vehicles during the period.
Bala appealed to parents not to give under aged children vehicles to drive and those that are matured must have a valid driver’s license to drive.
He then called on drivers to make sure they do not carry excess load of people because of the Sallah festivities.
In their separate remarks, the Executive Secretary, Red Cross, Alh. Musa D. Abdullahi and representative of NSCDC, DSC Usman Inuwa Dantanko talked about saving lives and security of passengers and drivers.
The Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Tashar Rami motor park branch, Ali Aminu Mohammad urged drivers to obey all traffic rules and regulations and charged them to put to practice what they learnt during the sensitization.
The high point of the operation safe Eid-kabir sensitization was the demonstration of the use and importance of the incidence response vehicle by NEMA officials.
