The Federal Government has received a major accolade for its continuous support toward the entrenchment of safety of lives and properties on Nigerian roads.
A statement issued on Friday by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Public Education Officer, ACM Bisi Kazeem explained that the award was also for Nigeria’s commitment to excellence in the implementation of the African road safety action plan.
According to the statement, the award was organised in recognition and honour of African countries that have made significant contribution towards effective implementation of the United Nations Decade of Action for road safety, in the last decade
This Kazeem said was given during the maiden edition of the Kofi Annan road safety award, held in Accra, Ghana.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the maiden edition honoured five countries that had performed excellently in the implementation of the African road safety action plan between 2011 and 2020.
Nigeria won the Excellence in Road Safety Management award, while Morocco was handed the award for Leadership in Road Safety Data Management, as the Leadership in the Ratification of the Africa Road Safety Charter award, went to Namibia.
In the same vein, Ghana was recognised with the award of Excellence in the implementation of the Africa Road Safety Action Plan, as South Africa went away with the award of Leadership in Mobilising Resources for Road Safety.
The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, during the presentation of the awards, likened road traffic crashes to a global pandemic and public health issue that must be addressed collectively.
Akufo-Addo emphasised the need for the award ceremony to be sustained to encourage African countries on the need to learn from global best practices.
The Nigerian Award was received by Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi.
Nigerian entourage to the ceremony included the Permanent Secretary, General Services, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation office, who represented the SGF, Dr Maurice Mbaeri,
Also on ground was the Corps Marshal, FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi and FRSC’s CPEO, Kazeem.
The Corps Marshal, who was elated with the award, appreciated the commitment and support of the President Muhammadu Buhari led government to road safety in Nigeria.
“I must applaud Mr President for his unflinching support to the FRSC through the provision of basic operational and rescue tools, since the inception of his administration.
“This support has immensely impacted on the operations of the Corps and we are glad to be recognised, not only nationally, but also within the African sub region.”
