Finally, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has tasked Dangote Group on prompt removal of broken-down vehicles and the need to intensify efforts towards achieving professionalism in the recruitment, training and certification of its drivers as a critical measure to reducing crashes on the highways.
According to a statement issued by Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, the task was handed down at a meeting which is “part of the ongoing concerted efforts by the Corps to reduce the rate of occurrence of crashes involving articulated vehicles and also ensure prompt removal of broken down vehicles on the highways.”
He said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, spoke extensively during the meeting, lamenting the spate of crashes involving Dangote trucks and called on the group to make the training, retraining and certification of drivers a major priority in the operation of their fleet.
“There is need for the company to be strict in its recruitment process for drivers; requirements such as age for both entry and retirement should be made a priority issue to avoid under age driving and maintain a fixed age for retirement,” the Corps Marshal said.
To achieve the aforementioned, Oyeyemi charged the group to establish more driving schools and also make it open to the public so that drivers and would be drivers can apply for training as this will go a long way in making the highways safer for all to use.
Pursuant to the need to curb all incidences of crashes involving Dangote trucks, the Corps Marshal gave the following ultimatum:
- All Dangote trucks to be fully installed with Speed Limiting Device before December 31, 2019.
- Dangote to provide details of any driver who commits traffic infraction to FRSC for subjection to Emotional Stability Test
- The Company to provide details of any driver who runs away after a crash to FRSC for flagging on the database so as to track such drivers and prevent reissuance of NDL.
- FRSC and Dangote Group to commence a joint effort to ensure that all abandoned or broken-down Dangote Trucks are towed within the next 30 days commencing from 18 September to 17 October, 2019.
- All Dangote Trucks to have at least a mini first aid box
- Dangote Trucks not allowed to drive from 7pm to 7am, any of the company’s truck found around that time will be impounded at sight.
- Foreign number plates on the company’s trucks to be replaced with Nigeria Number Plates before December 31, 2019.
- Periodic and random driver’s eye check should be conducted for the fleet drivers.
Responding, the head of the Dangote delegation, Mr Juan Carlos Rincom, appreciated the FRSC for its unwavering commitment to sanitizing the highways and pledged the company’s willingness to carry out all resolutions made in the meeting.
