Federal Road Safety Corps Marshal Dr Boboye Oyeyemi inaugurated a Stakeholder Committee in February for the proposed establishment of a National Road Assessment Programme for Nigeria (nRAP), to enhance safer road infrastructure and compliment existing efforts to reduce road deaths and injuries.

In a statement by Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, the Corps Marshal said that the Road Assessment Programme is an international concept and practice that has gained acceptance in regions and countries around the globe. It targets to purposely enhance existing road safety engineering practice and create safe road infrastructure for all road users.

“The programme,” he explained, “is a deliberate effort by concerned authorities to assess road infrastructure with a view to improve the safety of roads. In addition, the main focus of RAP is placed on improvement of roads for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, two and three wheeler vehicles.

“Upon creation of the nRAP, Nigeria will become an affiliate of the African Regional body and by extension a component of the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP),” he said.

While congratulating members for being part of the Committee which evolved from the need to encourage maximum collaboration and coordination of strategic infrastructure investment, Oyeyemi appealed to them to make meaningful contributions that will enrich the process and improve on road safety.

He stated further: “As challenging as the problems bedevilling safer road infrastructures are, the task of road safety is still achievable if the requisite research, technology and expertise are adequately harnessed.

“As such, the establishment of nRAP will not only be a step in the right direction towards the realisation of Pillar 2 of the United Nations Decade of Action on road safety 2021-2030, but also lead to the domestication of the iRAP strategies,” Mr Oyeyemi said.

The members expressed satisfaction and pledged commitment to the realization of the mandate bestowed on them, noting that the nRAP is a veritable programme that will enhance the standards of road infrastructure in Nigeria.

The Stakeholder Committee inaugural meeting had in attendance, the team from the Federal Road Safety Corps;  Dr Remix Adewunmi, representing the National Institute of Transport Technology, Engr Garba Aliyu, representing the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr Sita Onyelekwe from the Road Sector Development Team of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and Engr Amos GC, who represented Nigeria Institute of Highway and Transportation Engineering among others.

iRAP congratulates the FRSC and Committee for this milestone step toward reducing death and injury on Nigeria’s roads.

According to iRAP’s Vaccines for Roads Big Data Tool, 109 people die on Nigeria’s roads each day. An additional 4 are paralysed, 253 suffer brain injuries, 589 fracture limbs and 4 are left amputees.

Achieving UN Targets 3 and 4 in Nigeria stands to save more than 13,471 lives per year and almost 3 million lives and serious injuries over 20 years with an economic benefit of USD$108 billion and $29 benefit for every $1 invested.

Header image source: Daniel Sikpi, Pexels
Article: Motoring World International