Moses Akaigwe
The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, has approved the release of five basic life support ambulances with teams of medical personnel of the corps and 30 active Close User Group lines, to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
The gesture is in line with its commitment to facilitating prompt evacuation of coronavirus victims from point of identification to isolation the centres.
The approval came shortly after the request was presented to the corps by the Country Director, United Nations Decade of Action on Road Safety and Traffic Injury Prevention in Nigeria and the Coordinator, Ambulance and Emergency Response Unit of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sydney Ibeanusi.
Dr. Sydney who made the request on behalf of the PTF noted among other things that FRSC has always been at the fore front of national commitment and at this moment of global emergency, the task force sought to enhance the existing collaboration with the corps in the area of emergency response services.
In a related development, FRSC Commanding Officers across the country have stepped up enforcement of President Muhammadu Buhari’s pronouncement on the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun States, as well as the Federal Capital Territory {FCT}, Abuja.
Following the President’s broadcast, the Corps Marshal had directed the Commanding Officers to ensure strict compliance with the restrictions and physical distancing amongst vehicle occupants and carry out the directives holistically by impounding at sight any vehicle found violating the orders.
According to Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, the Corps Marshal’s directive is to reiterate the commitment of the FRSC towards sustaining existing collaborations with the federal and state governments in the fight against the ravaging coronavirus, and further ensure that the order on restrictions are diligently and effectively enforced with all sense of professionalism, civility and resilience.
Oyeyemi also ordered that except the occupants are accredited essential workers with proof of identification, commanding officers must ensure that they and their vehicles are impounded and handed over to the Police for prosecution.