The Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on Road Safety and Injury Prevention have called for the adoption of sector-based strategies to address the hydra-headed challenges of road crashes, injuries, and deaths in Nigeria.
The Coordinator and leader of the representatives of NGOs/CSOs, Dr. Yusuf John Suberu, expressed serious concerns about how to tackle pre-crash, crash, and post-crash issues in Nigeria and outlined the way forward.
According to him, “The relevant stakeholders of the initiative have been unable to reach the target specified in the first phase of the decade of action, urging the need to galvanize resources together to actualize the action plans for the 2nd decade of action and its implementation.
“In this regard, the outcome of this meeting would lead to the adoption of sector-based strategies to address the hydra-headed challenges of road traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths in Nigeria and the development of a communique that would be used as a roadmap to accomplish the set-out goals of the decade of action for the year 2024.”
It is noteworthy to indicate that there is a high rate of compromise in the operations of some driving schools, as well as the process of the issuance of driver’s licenses, which is largely responsible for the low quality of driver education, increased rate of road safety violations, and carnage on Nigerian roads.
“The high number of vehicles on our roads that are not certified as being roadworthy is also being used for commute everywhere, thereby endangering precious lives and valuable properties.
“The lack of inter-agency cooperation among relevant stakeholders (Government Agencies, NGOs, and CSOs) in the post-crash activities, coupled with inadequate funding by the government, has resulted in the decline of effective collaborative activities to bring about the development of the sector.”
Speaking further, he said there is a need to raise fundamental issues on discrepancies in the recording of data on road accidents or crash fatalities, which have been grossly underreported. This has led to the inability to access requisite funds from international donor agencies by Nigerian government agencies and private organizations for the promotion of safety on Nigerian roads.
He, however, urged the stakeholders to proffer workable solutions towards enhancing the full accomplishment and sustenance of the pillars of the UN Decade of Action on Road Safety in Nigeria.
