February 09, (THEWILL) – The Cross River State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps have sought the cooperation of the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists on accident reduction in the state.
The 20th sector commander of the FRSC in Cross River state Elizabeth Fumilayo made the plea at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar during a courtesy visit.
The sector commander said the press is an integral partner in sensitizing the populace stressing that the plan is to reduce road crashes by 15%.
“Road safety business is everybody’s business and we embrace people like you to help us in propagating this message.
“We are here to appreciate you and seek for further collaboration to ensure that we reduce to the barest minimum the rate of road crashes.
“This year, we hope to reduce crashes by 15% and we are ready to partner with you to actualise this noble goal,” she said.
She added that “in this part of the world we have to force people to stay alive by driving safely.
“As human beings, we have a larger role to play for people to stay safe,” she said.
She opined that most of the things drivers are supposed to comply with are in a book but these books are not being read and solicited the support of the media in enlightenment.
She encouraged motorists to imbibe the culture of defensive driving by being extra cautious to ensure their safety and that of other road users.
She also lamented the impact of road crashes saying sometimes those that don’t loose their lives have become maimed, and those who lost their lives are usually in the prime of their lives and are still useful to their families, the society and country.
On his part, Comrade Victor Udu, the state chairman of NUJ said pledged the support of the union to ensure the success of the road safety drive.
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
