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00:00Welcome to Guardian Talks. I am Temitaio Peters. We are shining the spotlight on one-way driving.
00:06Despite constant warnings, motorists still endanger their lives by driving against traffic,
00:11especially on Lagos-Ibado Expressway.
00:22Joining us on how FRSA Federal Road Safety Corps is tackling this menace is Corps Commander
00:29Akiwomi Oladapo Fashakin, Sector Commander, FRSA, in Ogun State.
00:34Thanks for joining us. All right, let's cut to the chase.
00:37Why do some drivers still drive against traffic despite the risks like accidents and legal penalties?
00:46Well, thank you very much.
00:48And I think the major issue there is that of our attitude to traffic rules and regulations.
00:57It's not lack of knowledge.
00:59It's our attitudes toward the knowledge.
01:02We all know that driving against the traffic is dangerous.
01:09It's a form of dangerous driving.
01:11And there are dangers attached to it.
01:16Like a knocking down of unaware or suspecting a motorist that doesn't know at all.
01:26It's not that way that a vehicle is coming from the opposite side.
01:31So I would say it's our attitude of flagrant disobedience to traffic rules and regulations,
01:40which to me is a deliberate act.
01:44It's a deliberate act.
01:45You know, one-way driving contributes to road accidents, congestion, and overall road safety challenges.
01:55You know, one-way driving is a route to validation.
02:01It's the route to validation of this.
02:04And you just mentioned that it can lead to a crash.
02:11Then people get people being killed.
02:15We have recorded cases of people being knocked down, especially at night.
02:20We have seen people getting involved in all these acts and leading to traffic jam, gridlock,
02:33because it's a route violation.
02:35There is many discipline.
02:36That means you are blocking the vehicles or the vehicles that are coming from the right direction.
02:47But you that are on the opposite direction, the wrong direction.
02:50So you are violating a route offense, and it can lead to road traffic crash where people will be killed or injured.
03:04It's a very serious offense.
03:06Right.
03:07How effective has past enforcement efforts been in reducing one-way driving?
03:13Well, it has been yielding results.
03:18Before I talk about the enforcement of this route validation,
03:24I would like us to know that we've done our own survey.
03:29I know that because of the next place, too.
03:31The idea that is more notorious is that from that journalist village to Maguro, the Maguro, the journalist village,
03:42then Redeemed Camp to Mowi.
03:45So we've engaged in a series of stakeholders meeting, stakeholders consultation with relevant stakeholders to sensitize them about the dangers of driving against traffic and indiscriminate parking along the express route.
04:05Like we've had meetings with the transport unions.
04:10The community leaders, the community leaders, the community leaders, the community leaders, maybe AUSAWA, NIPO, UNIVERSE, the gas station, the NIPO.
04:24I can see that people are parking in this room.
04:27We've had a series of meetings with them before we embark on our enforcement, on our operation.
04:38And I would like to, coming to how effective it has been, I would like to inform you that between January and March, that's the first quarter of this year,
04:51we carried out eight special operations along that route, along that route, eight special operations, out of which 83 people were booked for the violation and the dangerous driving.
05:03And we still marry this enforcement with public enlightenment, and we are going to sustain it, and this Easter period now, we had one during the EDF3 special operations.
05:23And we are planning another work for this Easter period, so which we are going to, we are going to be hauled out for those that are, for the recastrant one, and it's going to be sustained.
05:40We are going to sustain it, and we are going to marry it with prosecution.
05:44It's not only being booked for the violation, and don't pay your fines, all these things.
05:50We are going to have a mobile court seat, whereby violators will be harried before.
06:01And it's a magistrate that will now decide whether to set the offender free, or set him to jail, or to let him go and pay fines.
06:12So we are going to, we are going to look at it holistically.
06:17We are still going to go ahead with our public enlightenment, the public enlightenment program.
06:23And at the same time, we are getting support and assistance from our, from other sister agencies like the Nigeria NAMI, the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps.
06:35So we are looking at it holistically.
06:38Now that Federal Road Safety Corps has promised to intensify patrols on Lagos Ibadan Expressway to deal with those driving against traffic, and other route violations, can you enlighten us about this?
06:51Yes, when you, when you take the access, the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Lagos Ibadan Expressway, you will find out that we have four commands, four commands, and one outpost, making five.
07:06From Oguma King to Shagam, Shagam to Moway, then Ibafu, that's towards the Kara, and when you look at the distance, it's a very short distance between 10 and 15 minutes.
07:25From Oguma King to Oguma King to Ogile, it's like 15 minutes, thereabouts, from Ogile to Shagam is another 10 minutes, thereabouts, from Shagam to Moway, it's another 10 or 15 minutes, then Moway to Ibafu.
07:41So that means that we have covered, the Kara has covered that address, and we have the resources, we have the patrol vehicles.
07:52So, we are going to focus more, the commercial has directed that we should focus more on people facing the oncoming vehicle, and at the same time, not abandoning our normal, routine patrol activities.
08:13And at the same time, our rescue operation also, we are having three ambulance points, along that axis, one at Oguma King, we have one in Shagam, we have one in Moway, we have one at the Kara, making four.
08:34So, you can say that the call, there's so much importance, along that Lagos-Ibado Expressway, because that's the most busiest road in the country as of today.
08:46Other specific measures FRS is taking to crack down on one-way violators, especially on highways like Lagos-Ibado Expressway?
08:55When you are talking about operation, patrol operation activities, or you are going on special patrol operation, you have to look at the, there are some factors, you have to look at some variables, external variables, and what have you.
09:12So, we sit down, we go to the drone, but the side of operation that we used last month may not be the same thing that we'll be using this month.
09:23So, it depends on the situation, after the previous activities, special operation carried out, we go back to the drone table, we do the review, then we look at the red flags, and where we can come in.
09:38We are looking at, we cannot, we won't abandon our public enlightenment, we are going to, we are going to manage it with enforcement, and you can't have the enforcement, you have to do risk analysis, the risk to the motoring public, because you cannot say, we have so much emphasis,
10:01we have so much emphasis on the, the, the minimum standard or safety standard, that's the risk analysis, before you go on any operation, you have to do the risk analysis.
10:13You cannot support to call road traffic crashes, and at the same time, carry out an operation that can, may even lead to another road traffic crashes.
10:24We are trying to prevent one, and it may lead to another one.
10:28So, we are going to do the risk analysis, like we have been doing.
10:32You cannot say this is the strategy that we use today, because what we use to monitor today may not be, the situation might have changed.
10:39For example, now when we are, we had, when we, the last time we had, when we sat down the video, and we did the post-motor, we discovered that the excuses, some of them are giving, very funny excuses, short distance, that is because this is a short distance, it's very short to our place, instead of going around to turn.
11:01So, then there are, then they are talking about the fear, the situation, the cost of fear, so it's not lack of knowledge, it's attitude.
11:11So, when we are, when we are, when we are, when we are, when we are doing the post-motor, there may be need for us also, to get in touch with some relevant agencies, maybe there are some places that you may have to block, along the express.
11:24If it is, when you, when you, when you, when you do the road survey and road audit, if the, maybe there are some places we have to block, so we, we, we, we, we, we leave us with relevant stakeholders, so we compare notes, and we give us suggestions, so, we are not doing it until they go.
11:43Are the existing penalties for one-way driving strict enough to deter offenders, or we need a stricter enforcement?
11:54There is a stipulated fine for dangerous law, and that's just, it's just small amount of money, it's 50,000 dollar.
12:03So, we, we, like I told, like I said, in the course of this, our discussion, that we are, we are still marrying those with mobile court prosecution, so it's 50,000 dollar, so just, when you are talking about strict math, maybe pay more fines, some other thing, but, he, it may be in a good direction,
12:30But we need core, we need core, the activities, because the core believes so much in behavioural change, not in attitude.
12:41Let us change our attitude. Let us have personal, take personal responsibility.
12:46It's not the money. It's not the payment of fines that, it's not the payment of fines that the core you saw is after.
12:53It's not the payment of fines, but you are just using that payment of fines as a form of punishment, restraining the fines that matters.
13:10The safety of lives on our road, that's why you see fines of 2,000, 30,000, 4,000, that's all.
13:22So, but we are still going to improve on our public enlightenment.
13:29And we have been having advocacy visits to churches, to mosques, to traditional rulers, that if me as an individual can do the right thing, and you as an individual can do the right thing, then we'll be getting results.
13:45So we don't need to wait for, we don't need to wait for the government. We should take personal responsibility.
13:52But unfortunately for us in this country, what most people think is, obeying traffic rules and regulation is like, they are, they are, they are, they are satisfying the government, not their personal safety.
14:04That road safety is using seatbelt. Road safety is that we should not be using forward driving, that we should be using the pedestrian bridges.
14:13Let me fasten my seatbelt because of road safety. It shouldn't be. It should be, let me fasten my seatbelt for my own personal use, my own personal safety.
14:24Okay, we're talking about FRS's part. Let's talk about the role of public and private stakeholders. What role should we be playing in ensuring that we eliminate one-way driving?
14:37What's, thanks so much for that question. And thank God you made me, I was about to ask you that, what can you do for us? Like press, we need more of public and light image.
14:50We need more of public and light image of this and the sponsorship of road safety activities. Because safety on our road is a collective responsibility.
15:00We are seeing people, and I keep repeating that, we, we're talking about road safety, my robust road safety management, then the saver vehicle, saver road and saver road use.
15:15And prompt rescue operation. And prompt rescue operation. That's just our major, those five points.
15:22Five points are our major concerns.
15:28I wouldn't mind if Guidean can say, okay, we don't need two patrol vehicles or one ambulance to all, to road safety, to the state sector.
15:37I'm so glad to take away, so that, so that we can, we can improve on our rescue operation and post-crash care.
15:47So, and at this time, public enlightenment, community leaders, let us propagate this gospel, because the life you saved may be yours.
15:56Thank you so much.
15:57Thank you for your time this morning. We really, really do appreciate you on Guardian TV.
16:08Thank you so much.
16:10Thank you so much.
16:11You've heard it all. The real change starts with every road user.
16:14A special thanks to call commander, Akiomi Oladapo Fashaki, for shedding light on this critical topic.
16:21Don't forget to always obey traffic rules and drive safe.
16:26I'll see you next time.
16:27I'll see you next time.