The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi has engaged with the Dangote Industries Limited over frequent cases of road traffic crashes involving the company’s articulated vehicles.

The meeting it was learnt culminated into adoption of a workable roadmap between FRSC and Dangote company towards reduction of crashes on the highways.

One of the things agreed on, was for the company to immediately commence removal of all its broken down vehicles on the highways across the country while ensuring faithful implementation of the resolutions reached at the interactive session.

Speaking at the end of the meeting with members of the Management of the company, the Corps Marshal reiterated that government would be more vigilant in monitoring the activities of the drivers of the company to determine its compliance with the safety roadmap drawn, saying the meeting was called to brainstorm on the increasing rate of road traffic crashes involving the company’s vehicles.

Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, Mr Bisi Kazeem,  in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja,  the Corps Marshal said FRSC has observed that Dangote Group operates one of the largest number of fleet of articulated vehicles in the country.

He, however, pointed out that the activities of the company's drivers have become a source of concern to other road user and that efforts must be made to ensure that they are brought under strict control to avoid the menace the cause on the road.

He maintained that since road remains the most favourable means of transportation in the country, necessary measures must be put in place to protect the users, noting that FRSC was particularly concerned with the level of impunity being displayed by some drivers of Dangote Industries Limited who operate without due consideration to lives of other road users.

He indicated that many lives have been lost in several road traffic crashes they caused, while the nation equally suffers unquantifiable volume of economic losses from the crashes.

“A situation where the drivers of the company would knock down a road user, abandon the vehicle and disappear into the thin air is unacceptable to the FRSC,” he said.

Expressing anger at such high a level of impunity, Oyeyemi noted that even FRSC personnel who go on patrol and rescue operations are not excepted from the ugly practice of the company’s drivers, warning however, that as the lead agency for road safety management and administration in the country, FRSC would do all it could to put a stop to such carelessness.

“This meeting is therefore, called to address the matter and for all stakeholders to discuss on the way forward,” he stated.

The Corps Marshal who also frowned at the way some of the drivers of the company indulge in overloading, urged its Management to put in place necessary measures that could ensure that the ECOWAS protocol on axle load is not violated.

He added that as the company with large number of fleet of vehicles, it should show good example to others by using reflective tapes on its vehicles to give them adequate illumination especially in the night.

In his remarks, the Special Assistant to the Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Abdulrahman Yakassai while expressing appreciation of the Chairman of Dangote Group to the FRSC for its commitment to road safety campaigns, apologised for his inability to personally attend the meeting.

He noted that the company was as concerned with issues of road safety as the FRSC, stressing that in tackling the increasing rate of road traffic crashes involving its vehicles, Management of the company has taken various measures including training and retraining of the drivers and implementation of other safety measures drawn up by the team of experts on road safety.