By Olusegun Ogungbemide

The inauguration of the National Road Safety Advisory Council (NaRSAC) Committee by the Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s quest for road safety.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states, a Federal Capital Territory Abuja and 774 Local Government Areas. With a total of 923,768 square kilometres and human population of well over 170 million, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, the most populous black nation and currently the 7th most populous nation in the world.
The total road network which is estimated at 200,183km (comprising 36,183km federal, 32,000km State and 132,000km of Local roads) has earned Nigeria her rank as the country with the second largest road network in Africa as at 2019. Currently, more than 95% of urban transportation in Nigeria is done by road, and about 70% of these trips are by public transport.

This huge burden placed on road transportation sector makes it extremely herculean a task to handle the administration of safety, as well as management of traffic on Nigerian roads.

The fact remains that no single government, or agency of government left alone, can boast of having the sole capacity to combat the menace of road traffic crashes and entrench safety on the roads. That is why the task of road safety is basically a collective effort. It requires the combined efforts of both the public and private sector, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, religious bodies as well as traditional institutions amongst others.

This analysis brings to the fore, the potential impact of the NaRSAC Committee on the implementation of Nigeria Road Safety Strategy Document II as well as provides a comprehensive overview of the NaRSAC committee’s potential impact on Nigeria’s road transportation sector.

Recall that the United Nations embarked on Decade of Action against road crashes, injuries and fatalities in the break of the new millennium. This decade of action is anchored on safe system approach, leveraging on the 5 pillars namely; safer roads, safer road users, safer vehicles, road safety administration and post crash care. Apart from emphasizing on achieving reduction in road crashes by 50%, it also targets to achieve a universe where crashes result in zero death.

To achieve this feat, member countries were mandated to develop a strategy document spanning through a decade that would identify critical stakeholders, including all the tiers and arms of government and apportion responsibilities and roles to every key player. This led to the development of NRSS document. The idea behind it is to have an all inclusive approach to road safety in Nigeria, where everyone has a role to play.

The Nigeria Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) document II is the second edition of an action plan to improve road safety in Nigeria and align with safety management approach with global best practices. With the maiden edition (NRSS 2014-2018) reaching its terminal phase in 2018, a comprehensive review of the strategy was necessary, not just to pursue the adopted policy path, but also to enrich core contents, improve on implementation methodology, and generally consolidate the tremendous gains of the first edition.

Thus the NRSS II (2021-2030) advances the progress already made and charts a way forward. NRSS II, therefore, articulates the multi-sectoral activities that are necessary for the achievement of Nigeria’s much desired road safety and outlines the country’s roadmap for reducing road crashes and fatalities. The document identifies key strategies, including: Improving road infrastructure, Enhancing vehicle safety standards, Strengthening enforcement and regulation, as well as, Promoting public awareness and education.

The NaRSAC committee’s primary responsibility is to implement all strategic initiatives provided in the document as a guide on road safety implementation in Nigeria. They will also coordinate stakeholder engagement, monitor implementation progress and advise on resource allocation.

The committee’s inauguration will definitely usher in a new dawn for road safety in Nigeria. It is expected amongst others to enhance policy coordination and streamline road safety efforts across federal, state, and local governments; Improve stakeholder engagement by fostering collaboration among government agencies, private sector, and civil society organizations; boost implementation, as well as accelerate progress toward achieving the Strategy Document’s goals, and also Increase resource allocation by attracting funding and resources from government, private sector, and international partners.

As the lead agency that superintends over the administration of safety in the country, the Federal Road Safety Corps has already commenced putting all necessary measures in place to ensure a seamless implementation of the strategies in the document. Under the leadership of the present Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed deployment of technology as well as staff capacity development programmes have been introduced. This is to ensure that the staff are well prepared to handle the technological aspect of the combat mission against crashes on our roads.

With the inauguration of this committee, the Corps, as well as the country is set for better days and it is hoped that the members will wake up to the task ahead and commit their time to the realisation of the mandate of the Committee.

In addition to the aforementioned impacts of this inauguration, the corporate strategic goal of the Corps projected to reduce road crashes in Nigeria by 5% at the end of 2024 has actually gotten a credible boost and the Corps will sure take absolute advantage of this development to make Nigerian roads safer than they already are.

Obviously, the Corps now has a greater commitment of requesting from all stakeholders to share in the vision that Road Safety as an agenda needs more attention, more care, and more funding.

We are absolutely committed to improving our visibility, performance, rescue response time, technology driven operations, and respect for law-abiding road users. So that together as we enjoy shared responsibilities as stakeholders we can do more, we can do better and we can save more lives and properties of Nigerian citizens for the ultimate economic growth and development of our Nation.

Let me congratulate the motoring public, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and of course, the Federal Road Safety Corps for this great achievement.

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Umar Damagum as the acting National Chairman of the party.

The court ordered that no other person must be recognised as PDP national chairman other than Damagum until the national convention of the party scheduled for December next year.

Justice Lifu issued the restraining order against the PDP NEC, BoT, and others while delivering judgment in a suit instituted against them by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina.

The judge held that in line with Articles 42, 47, and 67 of PDP, it is only at the national convention of the party that national officers can be elected.

In the suit, Justice Lifu said that PDP members are bound by the constitution of the party and as such must always act in line with the provisions and obedience to the party’s law

The plaintiff, who claimed to be chairman of PDP in Yobe State, had instituted the suit against PDP and eight others alleging that some stakeholders of the party have been holding clandestine meetings to forcefully remove Damagum from office in gross violation of the party’s constitution.

He said that a former deputy governor of Kogi State, Phillip Salawu, was being pushed forward as a replacement for Damagun by the stakeholders.

Maina claimed that upon becoming aware of the plan, two separate letters complaining against the clandestine meetings were delivered to the national secretary of the party, Samuel Anyanwu, and that despite the acknowledgment of the two letters, the national secretary and BoT members have never deemed it fit to act on the letters and their claims.

In the suit instituted on his behalf by Joshua Musa who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the plaintiff therefore prayed the court to invoke articles 45, 47, and 67 of the PDP Constitution to stop the move to replace Damagum as the acting national chairman.

The plaintiff specifically asked the court to declare that the national chairmanship of the PDP is rotated between the north and south regions and not through any other procedure not enshrined in the PDP’s Constitution.

In his judgment after perusing the PDP’s Constitution and exhibits, Justice Lifu agreed with the plaintiff that Damagum can only be replaced at the national convention of PDP or through an order of a court.

Justice Lifu also held that any attempt to truncate the un-exhausted four-year tenure of the northern region without the national convention of the party would amount to an affront to the Constitution of the PDP.

Earlier, the judge had dismissed the opposition of the defendants to the suit on the grounds that the plaintiff had no locus standi to bring out the case and that the court lacked jurisdiction.

Justice Lifu held that the plaintiff predicated his suit on the protection of the PDP Constitution from being violated and the northern region where he hailed from being shortchanged from the four-year tenure.

Justice Lifu said that the plaintiff having displayed his PDP membership card before the court and having raised the fundamental issue of protection of PDP’s Constitution had sufficient interest and justiciable cause to institute the case.

Nestlé Nigeria has announced the call for entries for the 2024 Media Awards, an annual event to recognize and reward journalistic professionalism and excellence across Nigeria.

Now in its fourth edition, the awards continue to honor media professionals whose exceptional storytelling brings critical attention to key issues in the food and beverage industry, while championing impactful and necessary conversations that resonate with the Nigerian public.

Commenting on the impact of the awards, Victoria Uwadoka, Head of Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability at Nestlé Nigeria said, “The Nestlé Media Awards are not merely a celebration of journalistic excellence, but a force for positive change. By recognizing and rewarding outstanding media contributions, we are fostering high standards in journalism while motivating intentional, impactful reporting.”
Award Focus Areas

Journalists are invited to submit stories that align with key thematic areas such as:
• Nutrition and Affordable Food Solutions
• Environmental Sustainability
• Youth Empowerment and Development
• Women Empowerment
• Community Development
• Finance
• Agriculture
• Best Photojournalist Award

Eligibility and Categories

The competition is open to all Nigerian journalists and media organizations in print, broadcast, and digital platforms. Participants can enter individual or team submissions in any of the categories listed above covering activities of Nestlé Nigeria PLC or Nestlé as a global company. Stories must have been published from November 10, 2023, to November 8, 2024 – the closing date of the entries for The Awards.
Submission Requirements
To enter, journalists are required to adhere to the following requirements:
• All entry materials must be works published in mainstream, online or broadcast platforms in Nigeria
• All submissions must cover Nestlé Nigeria PLC or Nestlé as a global company activity relating to the themes
• Supporting documents required for entries should include links to the published works, minimum of 100 words profile of the individual/organization, and a 100-word vivid description of the entry.
• A piece of work can only be entered in one category. A series of photographs on one subject with captions (news or features) will be counted as one entry.
• Participants can only enter one story/published work per category. Multiple entries in the same category by the same individual may lead to disqualification.
All submissions must be made to 2024 Nestle Nigeria Media Awards Form by November 8, 2024.

Judging and Criteria

Entries will be evaluated by a panel of industry experts based on the following criteria:
• Accuracy and Balance: How well the story presents a well-researched, factual narrative.
• Depth: Insightfulness and thoroughness in covering the subject matter
• Alignment with Focus Areas: How closely the story aligns with Nestlé Nigeria’s core values of sustainability, nutrition, and community-building.
Awards Ceremony

The winners will be announced and celebrated at a grand ceremony on December 8, 2024, in Lagos, where leaders from media, agriculture, and corporate sectors will gather to recognize excellence and innovation in reporting.