Violence not solution to Naira shortage difficulty – Sanwo-Olu

“Let me thank you, the good people of Lagos for your patience and unwavering perseverance even in these challenging times.

“My fellow Lagosians, this is a heartfelt call to you, as your Governor, to please remain calm at this time, and avoid all forms of violence, arson and rioting.

“Even in the face of the difficulties and frustrations being faced by all, violence and destruction should not and will never be the answer.

“We know that there are unscrupulous persons who want to sow seeds of violence and discord by their very utterances and actions, all with the view of robbing you of the chance to cast your votes in the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“Do not allow them to use you to achieve their evil intentions,” the governor said.

According to him, there is no justification whatsoever for attacking public or private property.

He said that the law enforcement agents had received clear instructions to take full control and ensure zero tolerance for any and all acts of arson, violence and destruction.

Sanwo-Olu enjoined all lawabiding residents to carry out their lawful activities without fear.

“As a government that fully understands the challenges that you are faced with, with regards to access to cash, we are working very hard to provide palliative measures to lessen the burdens being faced.

“As part of these measures, I have already approved an immediate reduction in transportation charges for publicowned transport, across the Lagos State public transport system: our buses, ferries and taxis.

“We are also equally in discussion with private transport operators not to hike fares at this point of time, given the difficult circumstances in which many Lagosians find themselves.

“We have also since commenced the distribution of food packs, to the most vulnerable citizens, the people most impacted by this disruption in the supply of cash.

“We will continue to highlight more vulnerable groups within our distribution channels who would benefit from the palliatives.NAN

FRSC@35: How we succeeded in traffic management -Kazzem

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has recorded tremendous achievements in the area of traffic engineering, road safety administration, traffic management, rescue operation, changing bad road use behaviour and crash reduction.

The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) Bisi Kazeem, said this in a statement in Abuja.

Kazeem said that the road traffic management agency achieved the glorious feat, through a chain of pragmatic leadership.

This, he said, included sagacity of different generations of management, ingenuity of its policy formulators and the dexterity of the handlers of policy implementation.

According to him, these leaders have entrenched within the Corps, a wealthy culture of professionalism and excellence in service delivery.

“This is what has positioned it as the lead agency in road safety management and traffic administration.

“Also, with a passionate and enduring commitment to creating a safer motoring environment that is unequalled in the African subregion.

“This unquenchable commitment asserts undue pressure on the Corps; thereby propelling it to more than ever before, continue to strengthen its strategies, programmes, knowledge and processes.

“This has enabled the agency to surmount all challenges militating against effective and efficient administration of safety in Nigeria,” he said.

Kazeem stressed that Nigeria was one of the few African countries that has leveraged on some road safety principles and have recorded remarkable progress in road safety administration and management despite a ‘gloomy’ beginning.

He said that the road safety situation in Nigeria was so deplorable that the World Health Organisation (WHO) once described the country as ‘worst in the world to travel on’ only next to Ethiopia.

He also said that the narrative changed through government’s efforts by establishing FRSC as the lead agency to guarantee safety on every centimetre of Nigeria’s expansive road network of 204,000km.

“This establishment was done ten years prior to United Nations recommendation for all member states to establish agencies directly situated under the central government for ease of unfettered operation.

‘FRSC has brought down annual record of crashes from over 40,000 crashes per year to below 5,000 at the moment.

“This began on 18 February, 1988, when the Corps commenced full operational activities geared towards eradicating road traffic crashes,” he said.

The Spokesman said that the Corps was and would always remain the frontline agency in traffic regulations in Nigeria.

He emphasised that FRSC had grown to become a reference point in excellent service delivery in Nigeria; benchmark for road safety management and administration in Africa and an example of global best practices in its operations.

This, he said, was through unprecedented innovations in information and communication technology and effective operational tools.

Kazeem commended the current leadership of FRSC, headed by Dauda Biu, for taking a bold steps towards the development of a vigorous framework for enhancing safe motoring environment in Nigeria.

He said that the strategic initiative had been the bedrock for the new innovations that have become ostensible in road safety administration and traffic Management in broad-spectrum.

“The laid foundation is premised on the resolve to place great attention to all the administrative variables that could enhance productivity, effectiveness and efficiency in the work process,” he said.

Kazeem assured the public that the Corps had put in place an unambiguous vision and mission projections designed to guide its affairs on short, medium and long term endeavours. (NAN)