Photo:Kayode Oyedare
The Federal Government has called on stakeholders in the transport sector to support policies and initiatives towards reducing speed related road accidents in the country.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha made the call in Abuja on Tuesday during a one-day stakeholders meeting on the development and implementation of a policy on Pre-Fitted Speed Limiting device on locally designed and imported vehicles.
Boss Mustapha said less than one percent of transport vehicles complied with the policy since 2016 when it was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary General Services in his office, Dr Maurice Mberi, the SGF said drivers of some transport companies engaged the services of technicians to tamper with the functionality of the speed limits, defeating the purpose of the device.
The Chairman, FRSC Board, Mallam Bukhari Bello said the commission would put the necessary mechanism in place for implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2015- 2030.
Mallam Bukhari commended some fleet operators for installing the device which has helped to check the excesses of their drivers on the highway.
Also, Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Dauda Ali-Biu said eighty-nine percent of over 2,700 road accidents between January and April this year were speed induced.
He said full implementation and enforcement of the speed limiting device would commence as part of a strategy to curb loss of lives and property in the country.
Representatives of Transport Unions in separate messages appealed to the federal and state governments to also look into the poor state of some roads across the country.
According to them, the present state of roads contributes to the high number of road accidents.
Reporting by Kayode Oyedare; Editing by Fany Olumoye and Annabel Nwachukwu