…Calls for a total review of the FCT Road Traffic Regulation
Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (APRI), a road safety focused advocacy group has called on the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Barr. Nyesom Wike to as a matter of urgency intervene and resolve the Court ban on the operations of the FCT Vehicle Inspection Officers, popularly known as VIO.
The group in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Amb. Fidelis Nnadi also called on the Minister to deploy all available resources in order to resolve the ban.
He lamented that as a result of the ban, road traffic crashes on FCT roads have been on the rise, a situation he described as avoidable, if the VIOs were allowed to carry out their duties on the roads.
The statement further read in part; “this Appeal is made and brought to you through this medium under public safety concern in FCT.
“The Hon. Minister will recall the recent ban of the DRTS FCT VIO officers from enforcement of road traffic activities in FCT.
“In the opinion of road traffic safety experts and advocates, that ban was not justified considering the rate of road crashes, deaths and injuries on FCT roads because security of lives and property is the primary concern of government and FCT Road users must be considered in this direction.
“As the Minister of FCT and a man with the kind heart of humanity, the safety of road users and sanity of road traffic on FCT roads should be a matter of your concern to which we recommend a total review of the FCT Road Traffic Regulation with a view to making provisions for the effective regulation of road transport and traffic activities on FCT roads.
“The officers should be on the road to ensure these one-chance and criminal elements are checkmated.
Since the court ban, the road traffic and transport regulation is in comatose in FCT.
“The lives of road users in FCT should matter as it matters to you in other spheres of lives in FCT under your Ministerial supervision and control. I hereby submit for your kind and urgent action Sir.