Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, said yesterday that it will establish an outpost and ambulance point on Lapai-Agaie Road for quick response to road crashes.
Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, stated this during a condolence visit to Niger State government over the recent tragic accident that claimed 60 lives on Lapai-Agaie Road.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, recalls that no fewer than 60 persons lost their lives to a petrol tanker explosion on Bida-Agaie-Lapai- Road on Sunday.
Mohammed said the tragic incident could have been avoided.
He said he had directed Corps Safety Engineering Department to carry out crash investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident and make recommendations.
“The report will be forwarded to the appropriate authority and the state government for consideration through the sector commander in the state”, he said.
The corps marshal said the agency had adopted a safe system approach in line with the United Nations action and strategy to reduce road crashes by 50 percent.
According to him, it is a holistic approach to road transport system where there will be interaction between people, vehicles and the road environment.
“What it means is that, yes crashes must occur, but should not result to death of people or cause serious injuries.
“Fatalities will have been avoided in the multiple accident if only the driver heeded to the advice of the passengers and passers-by.
“The driver of the truck that carried people and cows was advised not to proceed when the patrol tanker was burning, but did not listen”, he said.
Responding, Governor Umaru Bago, represented by his Deputy, Mr Yakubu Garba, thanked the corps marshal for the visit and the proactiveness of the sector.
He said the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, is working to unravel the cause of the accident.
The governor called for attitudinal change among drivers and appealed to the federal government to address the deplorable state of federal roads in the state.
He advised that FRSC’s report on the accident should take into account, the deplorable state of Lapai-Agaie-Katch-Bida road.
He maintained that the road, which links the north to southern states neede
holistic intervention. NAN
