In Edo State, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has announced plans to crack down on truck drivers found carrying passengers along with goods.
During an awareness event for the Aduwawa Truck Drivers chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Benin City, the Edo State FRSC Sector Commander, Paul Okpe, revealed this development.
Okpe emphasized that the aim of the awareness campaign was to discourage truck drivers from engaging in the practice of transporting passengers alongside goods and cautioned them against it.
The focus of the initiative is to collaborate with the union’s leadership on promoting safe driving practices, fostering a culture of safety on the roads, and discouraging the combined transport of passengers and goods using trucks.
As Okpe stated, “We are pleased with the drivers’ response to the initiative. They have pledged their cooperation and offered valuable insights, particularly concerning the issue of loading passengers and goods from the northern regions.”
“Following the awareness program, the FRSC will begin enforcing regulations against drivers who violate these guidelines. With the commitment shown by the drivers, we are confident that this problem will be eliminated,” he added.
“Our approach to addressing this issue involves a combination of public awareness and enforcement measures. This initiative, launched by Corp Marshal Alhaji Dauda Biu, is being rolled out nationwide,” Okpe continued.
He urged drivers to embrace road safety practices and avoid transporting animals, passengers, and goods together, emphasizing the importance of avoiding such practices.
Meanwhile, Alhaji Badamasi Muhammed, the chairman of NURTW Heavy Truck, Aduwawa branch, lauded the FRSC for the awareness campaign and pledged full support for the initiative.
Expressing concerns about the prevalent issue, Muhammed stated, “This has been an area of concern for us, but as a union, we lacked the authority to curb it. Now that the government is taking action, we anticipate positive changes, especially in the northern regions where the practice is common.”
He highlighted a tragic incident from the previous year in which an accident involving a truck transporting cows and passengers resulted in about 50 fatalities, underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue.
Assuring the FRSC of their cooperation, Muhammed pledged that the union would play a proactive role in educating its members about the dangers associated with combining the transportation of goods and passengers and advocate for discontinuing this trend.