Yemisi Izuora
The Ikeja Local Organisation of Junior Chamber International has been commended for sensitizing unit members of the Ikeja branch of the National Union of Road and Transport Workers on the global best practices of using the roads and safe driving.
The commendations were given by the Unit Head of Special Marshals, Federal Road Safety Corp Ojota Unit Command, Route Commander, Ande Apollo.
Apollo said that the defensive driving campaign organized by the JCI Ikeja goes a long way, saying that speaking with members of the NURTW will bring more knowledge to them on how to maintain their cars and use the road.
“Once a message of sensitization of this nature is sent out with a continuous reminder, there would be a change of attitude,
They would be more conscious and more self-aware of their safety and the safety of other road users. It is believed that most people who use the road are commercial drivers, Programs like this will give commercial drivers a rethink on reasons why they should obey road traffic regulations to ensure road safety”, Appollo explained.
Also speaking during the sensitization program, Grand Chairman, Ikeja branch of NURTW, Comrade Isiaka Apena applauded the initiative of JCI Ikeja for bringing the sensitization program to them.
Apena said that the seminar is good and very important to them, saying that it should be frequent for them can keep enlightening their drivers on how and why they should obey road traffic rules for the safety of their lives and other road users and ensure road safety.
He then called on the government at different levels to support them alleviate the challenges they are going through.
Apena said that there should be assistance from the government to the transport sector, especially the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
He pointed that the vehicle they are using is bad, and there should be a form of assistance from the government to subsidies; probably to collect their old vehicles and get them new vehicles and they pay installmentally.
“Government should do something to assist the drivers because it is a means of income for the drivers and this would make transportation better. The Government should render financial assistance to the transport sector at least to aid the purchase of the new vehicles”, Apena begged.
Explaining why the campaign was organized, President, JCI Ikeja, – Tricia Inalu explained that what informed the defensive driving campaign seminar was to sensitize the public transport drivers on the best ways to use the roads and to reduce the road the accident that happen on daily basis.
She quoted the Nigerian Bureau of statistics that between 2013 and 2019, saying that over 5000 deaths are been recorded annually.
“Very recently February this year, a Vanguard report states that an average of 4 persons dies every 6 hours, an average of 15 persons die daily, and in a month over 400 people die, these figures are alarming, these are people who are breadwinners, who have dependents and this affects the family, the home front and even our economy”, Inalu explained.
As a leadership organization that Junior Chamber International is, we lookout for problems and opportunities where we can promote development and create value for our communities.
“This has become very necessary as we have realized that we cannot leave this to the government because we are the government, we are the ones that can talk to ourselves to do things right and that is why we are on this sensitization campaign”, she said.