Following the successful mega rally of the 11th
edition of the Don’t Drink and Drive
campaign in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigerian Breweries and the Federal Road
Safety Corps (FRSC) held another mega rally on road safety in Lagos, as part of
efforts aimed at ensuring reduction in road accidents.
The Lagos event, the second of the three mega
rallies scheduled for this year’s campaign was held at the Ojota New Garage in
Lagos on Thursday, November 8, 2018.
The Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc,
Mr. Jordi Borrut Bel said the campaign is an important part of the company’s
long-term sustainability agenda, tagged “Brewing a Better World” and falls
under advocating responsible consumption.
Borrut Bel stated that since inception of the
campaign in 2008, enlightenment rallies have been held in popular motor parks
and other locations in 42 cities and towns across the country. It has also
engaged over 20,000 drivers and other road users.
He emphasised that the campaign, which is aimed at
discouraging drink driving and improving safety on Nigerian roads, commenced
its first mega rally in 2018 in Uyo in October, with the last for the 2018
edition scheduled for Minna, Niger State.
“For the first time since the initiative started,
we also launched the campaign at a National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) camp in
Umuahia, where we involved the youths as change agents to imbibe and drive the
message of the campaign,” he explained.
Borrut Bel added that as the year comes to an end,
road users, most especially commercial road users should imbibe the culture of
responsible drinking.
On his part, FRSC Sector Commander for RS2.1, Lagos
Sector Command, Corps Commander Hyginus Omeje, explained that during this
period of the year, the Corps doubles its efforts in actualising one of its
core mandates of educating the public on proper use of the highways to curtail
accidents.
He said drink driving has been a major factor
responsible for increasing accidents on the country’s roads.
According to him, analysis of crashes recorded in
Lagos State over the past two years shows that in 2016, a total of 441 reported
cases were recorded with 971 injured and 165 deaths; while in 2017, 425 cases
recorded shows 1,005 victims injured with 113 deaths. However, from January to
September of this year, 304 cases were recorded with 691 injured and 95 deaths.
Omeje disclosed that a baseline study on 2,600
persons from December 2015 to September 2018with the digital evidential alcohol
testing machine shows 247 positive results of drink driving, while 2,353 tested
negative.
He said the study further shows that 180 cases
involved commercial vehicles, representing 72.8 percent; 65 were private
vehicles indicating 26.3 percent, while two were government vehicles marking
0.8 percent.
He explained that the set legal limit for alcohol
consumption is 0.05g/100ml breath alcohol concentration and any driver above
that would be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, which is
punishable with a fine of N5,000, or one-year jail term, or both.
The Corps Public Education Officer, Corps Commander
Bisi Kazeem, who represented the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, said the
Corps is embarking on a road safety initiative on vision test for drivers,
known as “Operation Cobra”, as a measure to curb road accidents, which some
people attribute to demonic forces.
Present at the mega rally were the Lagos State
Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Ladi Lawanson; representative of the
Nigerian Air Force; members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers;
Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria; tanker drivers; luxury bus
drivers; tricycle and motorcycle riders; representatives of non-governmental
organisations in the transport sector; para-military organisations in the
country and the public.
From
Left: Corps Commander Hyginius Omeje, Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety
Corps (FRSC), 2.1, Lagos; Oluwatosin Solabi, Sustainability and Regulatory
Support Manager, Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc; Ladi Lawanson, Lagos State
Commissioner for Transportation; Corps Commander Bisi Kazeem, Corps Public
Education Officer, FRSC, and Grace Udensi, Public Affairs Manager (Lagos), NB
Plc; during the Lagos mega rally of the 11th edition of the NB/FRSC Don’t Drink
and Drive campaign held at Ojota Motor Park in Lagos, on Thursday, November 8,
2018.
From Left: Grace Udensi, Public Affairs Manager
(Lagos), Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc; Corps Commander Hyginius Omeje, Sector
Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), 2.1, Lagos; Oluwatosin Solabi,
Sustainability and Regulatory Support Manager, NB Plc; Ladi Lawanson, Lagos
State Commissioner for Transportation and Corps Commander Bisi Kazeem, Corps
Public Education Officer, FRSC; during the Lagos mega rally of the 11th edition
of the NB/FRSC Don’t Drink and Drive campaign held at Ojota Motor Park in
Lagos, on Thursday, November 8, 2018.
Comments
Post a Comment