Boboye Oyeyemi, the corps marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has called for a multimodal transportation system as a way of reinventing public transportation in Nigeria.
Oyeyemi made the call yesterday, inside the council chamber of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) where he inaugurated a 31-member special marshal unit led by Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the vice-chancellor of the UNILAG.
The FRSC boss who spoke against the background of the federal government’s decision to reintroduce the public mass transit system across Nigeria attributed the current breakdown in public transport to the non-utilization of other means of transportation especially the large water bodies as well as the underutilization of the rail system.
Oyeyemi reiterated the need for tertiary institutions in the country like the University of Lagos to have a full-fledged school of transportation studies.
“Establishment of such schools will go a long way in instituting and promoting the right driving culture among Nigerian vehicle users,” Oyeyemi said.
He commended the commitment of UNILAG management to traffic safety which according to the FRSC corps marshal brought about the collaboration and inauguration of the UNILAG special marshal unit.
Oyeyemi commended the calibre of members and passed a vote of confidence in their capacities to initiate ideas and policies which would enhance traffic safety around and beyond the university community.
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Also, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the vice-chancellor of the UNILAG in his speech described the event as demonstrating the university’s commitment towards addressing all traffic issues around the Akoka community and its environs.
Ogundipe acknowledged the long-standing mutual relationship which the university shares with the FRSC as exemplified by the establishment of a licensing office on the UNILAG campus and the recent replacement of the FRSC patrol vehicle which was destroyed as an aftermath of the 2020 #EndSARS protest.
The VC said that he is certain that through the special marshal unit, UNILAG will make its impact felt in traffic management thereby improving the quality of lives of the motoring and non-motoring publics around the campus community.
The administration of FRSC special marshal oath of membership of members by the FRSC Legal Adviser and the decoration of Oluwatoyin Ogundipe with kits as the coordinator of the UNILAG unit, alongside other members, were the highpoints of the ceremony.
The Federal Road Safety Commission’s special marshal was established by the FRSC Establishment Act 2007 and is the second tier of the FRSC that is meant to complement the core duties of the commission.
It is an assemblage of men and women of means, with proven integrity in the society who are able to voluntarily influence their immediate environment (workplace/community) in favour of the course of road safety.
