The permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, has lauded the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) for its plan to control road accidents in the school environment through advocacy and enlightenment campaigns on road signs and symbols to avoid loss of lives.
Ajani made this known during a courtesy visit by the leadership of NANS, Abuja (FCT chapter), to the ministry, led by its president, Comrade Peter Jesse, at the Ministry in Abuja.
“The proposal to educate and enlighten pupils of primary and secondary school students within the FCT metropolis is a laudable one, bearing in mind that it could avert loss of lives.
“The delegation’s courtesy call about the project is not misplaced, as the Federal Ministry of Transportation oversees road services.”
She, however, advised them to collaborate with the Federal Road Safety Corps Nigeria (FRSC) to access verifiable data of accidents within Abuja as it relates to schools’ locations and most likely affected persons.
The perm sec pointed out that the FRSC, as the only constituted body with the mandate to regulate and ensure strict compliance to road traffic codes, was in a better position to advise on how to run such campaigns for maximum impact.
Ajani advised that the scope of coverage – which is FCT – is too large, urging them to identify key areas to kick-start the campaign. She further encouraged them to think of avenues of empowering themselves, considering that they have been out of school for over six months.
Earlier, Jesse said the union has identified a lack of road signage or non-adherence to it as being responsible for road accidents and prayed the ministry to support it to embark on the task.
He further said that the plan is to establish Road Safety clubs in schools so that students can be exposed to safety issues early enough.
“They need support to embark on training youths with entrepreneurial skillsets to support the Nigerian youths, most of whom are stuck at home due to the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) strikes,” he added.
