As a critical measure to reducing crashes on the Nigerian highways, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has charged Dangote Group to strive towards achieving professionalism in the recruitment, training and certification of its drivers.
The Corps also tasked the company on prompt removal of its accidented or broken down vehicles to forestall accidents on the highways.
A statement issued by the Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, noted that the direction was given as part of the ongoing concerted efforts by the Corps to reduce the rate of occurrence of road crashes involving articulated vehicles and also ensure prompt removal of broken down vehicles on the highways.
The Corps Marshal, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi who spoke extensively during a meeting with some senior staff of the group, according to the statement, lamented the spate of crashes involving Dangote Trucks and called on the group to make training, retraining and certification of drivers a major priority in the operation of their fleet.
“There is need for the company to be strict in its recruitment process for drivers; requirements such as age for both entry and retirement should be made a priority issue to avoid under age driving and maintain a fixed age for retirement”.
To achieve the aforementioned, Oyeyemi charged the group to establish more driving schools and also make it open to the public so that drivers and would be drivers can apply for training as this will go a long way in making the highways safer for all to use.
Pursuant to the need to curb all incidences of crashes involving Dangote Trucks, the Corps Marshal gave the following ultimatum;
“That all Dangote trucks should to be fully installed with Speed Limiting Device before December 31, 2019,
“That Dangote should provide details of any driver who commits traffic infraction to FRSC for subjection to Emotional Stability Test; the Company is also to provide details of any driver who runs away after a crash to FRSC for flagging on the database so as to track such drivers and prevent reissuance of National Drivers Licence, NDL,
“FRSC and Dangote Group to commence a joint effort to ensure that all abandoned or broken down Dangote Trucks are towed within the next 30 days commencing from 18 September to 17 October, 2019; all Dangote Trucks to have at least a mini first aid box.”
Boboye also instructed that Dangote Trucks should not be allowed to drive from 7pm to 7am, saying that any of the company’s truck found around that time will be impounded on sight.
He further directed that foreign number plates on the company’s trucks should be replaced with Nigerian Number Plates before December 31, 2019 while periodic and random driver’s eye check should be conducted for the fleet drivers.
Responding, the head of the delegation, Mr. Juan Carlos Rincom appreciated the FRSC for its unwavering commitment to sanitising the highways and pledged the company’s willingness to carry out all resolutions made at the meeting.
