NAN
Former President, West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, has called for the inclusion of road safety questions on in the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Oyeyemi, who is the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), made the call in a message to mark the 10th anniversary celebration of WARSO, on Wednesday, in Makurdi.
The corps marshal was represented by the Benue Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr. David Mendie.
He said that the call was sequel to the decisions taken at the annual general meeting of WARSO in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 2013.
“The promotion of road safety education in schools across the sub region has achieved some commendable level of progress in Ghana and Nigeria.
“The respective governments have acted in the spirit of catching citizens at young ages for inculcation of desired road safety values.
He lauded WARSO for establishing its secretariat in Abuja, organising capacity building of member states and establishing community-based road safety respondent programmes.
Oyeyemi listed some other achievements of WARSO including the introduction of use of retro-flective tapes and speed limiting device by vehicles in West Africa as well as establishing regional accident reports and information templates.
The corps marshal commended the theme of the 10th anniversary celebration of WARSO titled, “WARSO in the Last Decade: The Journey So Far.’’
“The theme was chosen to enable member states create public awareness on the activities of WARSO in the last 10 years and to project future accomplishment targets.
“This celebration will provide member states an ample opportunity to reflect on the past performances of the organisation.
“It will also aid critically review of its strength and weaknesses in the phase of growing road safety challenges in the sub-region,’’ he said.
To commemorate the event, Mendie, led a motorcade of officers and marshals from the command’s headquarters along Oturkpo Road Makurdi to the busy Wurukum roundabout and major motor parks in town.
He urged members of the public to adhere strictly to road safety rules by ensuring that their vehicles were in good shape for road use.
“This is rainy season; so people should put their cars in order. All gadgets like wiper, good tyres and good lighting systems should be in place to prevent crashes,’’ he advised.