The Corps Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ondo State Command, Mr Ezekiel SonAllah, has commended the media and the State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu for ensuring infrastructure development, especially on roads, that can stand the test of time for the betterment of residents of the state.
The Sector Commander stated this in Akure, the state capital, while hosting the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by the State Chairman, Prince Leke Adegbite in his office.
SonAllah, who noted that better road Infrastructure in the state has led to the decrease in the rate of road accident in the state, stressed the need for all state governments to emulate Akeredolu and shift their mindset to upgrading road infrastructure.
According to SonAllah, the Akeredolu-led government has not stopped to construct new roads and said this will go a long way to drastically reduce fatalities on the road.
According to the FRSC commander, the media in Ondo state have been professional in their reportage especially in enlightening the public on the need to obey traffic rules to prevent road crashes.
He said "I want to thank the Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for his giants strides in the areas of infrastructure development.
"It is one of the reasons why we record low crashes. Our roads here in Ondo State are very good which has led to the reduction of crashes in the state.
"Since road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death by injury and the tenth-leading cause of all deaths globally, we need to shift our mindset to upgrading our infrastructure quickly.
He however advocated continuous improvement in the condition of Nigerian roads to enhance safety on the highways, saying there was need for urgent attention to road maintenance as a measure to make the roads safer and avoid unnecessary crashes.
The FRSC boss said "our public enlightenment programme too is yielding a positive results and we will continue to partner with you media because there is no how people will get to us without listen to your own side of the story.
"Let me specifically commend journalists in the state for giving us the maximum cooperation as regards their reportage. So we need you to help us enlighten the people and we will strengthen the relationship with NUJ in order to save lives on the highway.
"Also, we always do talk to our men on the need to be always very serious while on the roads because not all the people they meet on the roads are not criminals. Everybody should be treated with respect," the FRSC Commander.
While speaking, the Ondo State Council Chairman of NUJ, Prince Leke Adegbite, assured that the union will continue to support FRSC to ensure safer roads in the state.
Adegbite described services rendered by the FRSC as humanitarian saying that the union will continue to promote values that will ensure safety on the roads.
He however, expressed the union readiness to work with the FRSC in its sensitization programmes for the motorists to know the rules guiding usage of roads in order to save lives.
End.
