May 13, (THEWILL) – The Federal Road Safety Corps has denied seeking the introduction of Sharia law in the enforcement of traffic regulations.
FRSC made the clarification on Saturday, in an official statement issued by the Corps and signed by the Assistant Corps Marshal, Corps Public Education, Officer Bisi Kazeem.
In the statement, FRSC stated, “the Federal Road Safety Corps wishes to dissociate itself from a baseless and unfounded opinion currently published on different news platforms, linking the Corps to seeking the introduction of Sharia Law to complement existing extant regulations on enforcement of traffic rules and prosecution of offenders.
“The public is to note that the entire statement does not in any way, reflect the position of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
“The Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu, has recalled with immediate effect, the Sector Commander to the National Headquarters Abuja, for necessary administrative action because the Sector Commander, through the quoted statements, has breached the FRSC regulations and the Standard Operating Procedures.
“Without any reservation, it is key to inform the general public that the Federal Road Safety Corps is a Government Agency with statutory responsibilities for road safety administration in Nigeria and is sensitive to the country’s multi-religious, as well as heterogeneous ethnic composition.
“The Corps was founded through Decree No. 45, as amended by Decree 35 of 1992 referred to in the statute books as the FRSC Act cap 141 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN). The Act was passed by the National Assembly as Federal Road Safety Corps (establishment) Act 2007.
“By this very fact, it is important to clearly posit that the Corps is neither a religious nor sectional organisation, but a Federal Government Agency established with a mandate that is guided by the provisions of an establishment Act; and not a Sharia, Mosaic, customary, canon or any other law whatsoever that contradicts the provisions of its establishment Act, or the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Our lead agency role is shielded in our strict compliance with established regulations duly passed by the National Assembly. As such, the public is humbly called to disregard the entire content of the opinion as published because it is outrightly baseless, unfounded and does not apply in our operations and service to the Nigerian people”, FRSC concluded.
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
