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… Decries ‘Lack of Federal Roads’
By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Government has set up a 10-member Road Safety Advisory Council to work with other appropriate government agencies to ensure safety on the roads in the state.
Inaugurating the advisory council at Government House, Yenagoa, on Thursday, the deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said the council was set up in line with the Road Safety Act which made provision for the statutory body in every state of the federation.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who emphasized that the safety of passengers and vehicles plying the roads was the primary responsibility of the council, identified some intra-state roads like the Amassoma and the Opokuma roads as highly prone to automobile accidents.
He therefore called on motorists and Bayelsans to cooperate with the advisory council to achieve its goal of maintaining safety on the highways.
The Bayelsa deputy governor lamented that the state had one of the least mileage of federal roads in the country, and stressed the need for the Federal Government to collaborate with the state to improve road infrastructure to open up more communities in the rural areas.
He highlighted some of the functions of the advisory council as public enlightenment, installation of road signs, traffic law enforcement, clearing of obstructive objects, building of ambulance stations along major routes and effective engineering designs of roads to reduce the incidence of road accidents.
His words: “This advisory council is a statutory body by virtue of the Road Safety Act. Our duty or responsibility is to ensure safety on our roads – the safety of passengers and vehicles plying the roads.
“The role of this advisory council encompasses guiding motorists with appropriate signage, setting up ambulance stations at strategic points along major routes for quick response to emergency cases, and effective engineering designs for roads to reduce accidents on the roads, amongst others.
“We believe that Bayelsans will fully cooperate with this advisory council, so that we can reduce the carnage on our roads to the barest minimum.
“For now, Bayelsa has the lowest number of road mishaps. It is also remarkable that Bayelsa State is deficient of federal road network. So there is need for both the state and the Federal Government to collaborate on improving the road network in the state.”
In his remarks, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Commander Matthew Egbe, expressed gratitude to the state government for setting up the advisory council, expressing optimism that the move would promote the safety of Bayelsans.
Commander Egbe, who is secretary of the Advisory Council, emphasized the need for all stakeholders to make contributions to achieve assigned responsibilities.
The Bayelsa Road Safety Advisory Council has the deputy governor as chairman, with the commissioners for health, education, transport, environment, works and infrastructure as members.
Other members include the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, as well as a representative of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Mr Edoughotu Boyibim.
