The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi who is also the Chairman of the National Committee on the implementation of the ECOWAS policy on axle load control has assured that Nigeria will work for the implementation of the policy, not only in the country, but other members of the West African sub-region.
According to Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, Oyeyemi stated this during the stakeholders’ meeting on the implementation of the axle load control at the FRSC Headquarters Abuja. According to the Corps Marshal, Nigeria as a signatory to the protocol on axle load control as enacted by ECOWAS must ensure that conducive environment for its implementation was created in the country to properly address issues of overloading both within and across the sub-regional roads.
“Nigeria is one of the signatories to the ECOWAS protocol on the implementation of the policy on axle load control. We must therefore make concerted efforts to ensure that the policy is effectively enforced in the country,” he stated.
The Corps Marshal expressed dismay that the West African roads are being negatively affected by the menace of overloading, which hamper effective road safety campaigns, saying that all hands must be on the deck to ensure the reversal of the trend. “It is our collective responsibility to rise up to these challenges in order to protect not only the life span of the vehicles plying the roads, but the durability of the roads which are threatened by such negative practices,” he stated.
While commending the ECOWAS for making the issues of axle load control a priority, Oyeyemi appealed to the stakeholders to do all they can to ensure that the policy is effectively implemented in all the member countries of ECOWAS. Oyeyemi applauded the former Minister of Works for the vision of creating the Committee, noting that being the country currently heading the presidency of the West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO) and a leading country in the West African sub-region, Nigeria must work hard to ensure full implementation of the policy not only in the country but in all other member states.
“As the current president of WARSO and a leading member of ECOWAS, Nigeria has the responsibility to ensure that this important resolution of ECOWAS on axle load control and its harmonisation among member countries is fully implemented not only within the country but in all other member countries of the sub-regional body,” Oyeyemi stated.
As part of the resolutions reached at the end of the meeting, a fact-finding panel to ascertain the status of some weighbridges in parts of the country towards effective implementation of the axle load control was set up. Furthermore, stakeholders agreed on the need to embark on the sensitisation programme to enlighten other stakeholders on the importance of the policy in order to facilitate implementation when fully commenced.
In attendance at the meeting were stakeholders from various ministries, departments and agencies, including the representative of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.