FG To Scrap EFCC And 219 Other MDAs

Federal government is to scrap 220 parastatals, agencies and commissions in line with the recommendation of the Stephen Oronsaye-led presidential committee on the rationalisation and restructuring of the federal government's  parastatals and commissions.

Govs, VIPs’ convoys killed 26 in three years —The Punch Investigation

Accidents involving convoys of state governors and other very important persons claimed at least 26 lives in the past three years, investigations by The PUNCH have revealed.

The auto crashes, which occurred in different parts of the country, also maimed and injured many and destroyed property and vehicles.

Curiously, at least 33 state governors turned down the request to include officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission in their convoys.

 Our correspondent learnt that because of the reckless driving habit of drivers in the convoys of governors, the FRSC had requested several times that its officers be posted to be part of the convoys.

Only three state governors were said to have granted the request. The governors who granted the FRSC request, our correspondents learnt, were Rochas Okorochas of Imo State; Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano State; and Alhaji Yisa Yuguda of Bauchi State.

A source at the FRSC said the Commission had complained several times about the conduct of the governors’ convoys and those of other very important persons who breached traffic rules and regulations with impunity.

Many of the governors’ convoys had been involved in road accidents.

The latest of such involved Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State  on December 28, 2012. Wada’s aide-de-camp, Mohammed Idris, died in the accident while the governor who suffered a broken thigh and was discharged on Tuesday from Cedarcrest Hospital, Abuja, where he underwent surgery.

Checks revealed that the FRSC in May, 2012 conducted a test on governors’ drivers and found out that most of them had poor eyesight and high blood pressure.

80% of Ojota drivers hypertensive - FRSC

PASSENGERS travelling through the Ojota Motor Park in Lagos State may have cause to fret, if the results of the test conducted by men of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), on drivers at the park is anything to go by, as 80 per cent of  the 54 drivers that went through the commission’s  blood pressure and sugar level tests were found to be hypertensive.

Disclosing this at a sensitisation programme, tagged: “Beyond the road,”  at the Ojota Motor Park, the Ojota unit commander, Assistant Corp Commander  Leye  Adegboyega,  advised  the drivers  to  do away with habits which could cause them to become ill.

While attributing causes of high blood pressure and sugar level to high intake of cholesterol and unnecessary thinking, he, however, stressed that any driver diagnosed with high blood presssure was not eligible to drive until after proper medical attention.

He expressed the unit’s commitment towards its goal of reducing road traffic crashes within its jurisdiction, while advising the drivers on the need  to  avoid driving beyond the approved speed limit.

The unit commander further intimated the drivers on the introduction of  passengers watch,  put in place by the unit to check the excesses of drivers along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, adding that any reckless driver would be booked appropriately.

He stated that the sensitisation exercise was designed to instil discipline into  drivers in the ember months, while assuring the public that his command would still embark on the weekly campaign in major parks within the unit.

In his response, representative of the Ojota Park Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ojota New Garage, Mr Folorunso Ogundeji,  restated the park’s commitment to always ensure members adhere  strictly to traffic rules and regulations.

According to him, some of the safety measures put in place by the members of the union’s executives was to place a ban on the sales of alcoholic drinks at the  park.

FRSC apologizes for social media gaffe..,

The Federal Road Safety Corp FRSC has apologized for today's false information on twitter regarding a BRT bus plunging into the Lagos Lagoon off the 3rd Mainland Bridge that sent the whole State into panic.
I, on my part, also apologise (but no b my fault o!)

OMG! BRT falls off Third Mainland Bridge into the Lagos Lagoon!!!

I just read this off the official FRSC twitter timeline!
Details are still sketchy...