Officials of Federal Road Safety Corps on patrol

The Federal Road Safety Corps has reacted to a publication in the Punch Newspaper of Friday, 27 September 2019 titled, “FRSC has no mandate to train Driver,” which was attributed to the Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NIIT) Zaria, Olorogun John Onojeharho. The Chairman according to the report, categorized FRSC amongst those he described as “quacks” in the training of drivers.

FRSC said: “We wish to state unequivocally that it is part of the responsibilities of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to ensure that drivers, motorists, and motorcyclists are properly trained on how to operate their vehicles before they apply for the National Drivers Licence and that there are certified driving schools that conduct such trainings with the Corps monitoring their activities to ensure compliance to standards.”

It went further:
“The insinuation that the Corps is not mandated by law to train drivers is totally out of place, considering that the mandate is contained in Section 10 (3)c of the FRSC Establishment Act 2007 wherein it is stated that part of the mandate of the FRSC is: “to educate Drivers, Motorists and the members of the public generally on the proper use of the highways.”
It is important to place the term training in proper perspective as education and training are not entirely devoid of one another. Going by the definition by Merriam Webster, Education is a field of study that deals mainly with the methods of teaching and learning, and it’s synonymic to training as training means a process by which someone is taught a skill that is needed for an art, profession, or job.
Furthermore, FRSC is especially concerned with the safety of lives and property on the roads which has necessitated the organization to engage in training workshops to educate fleet operators on the minimum safety standards needed to operate their fleet of vehicles.
In addition, the FRSC is saddled with the responsibility to regulate the establishment and certification of driving schools that are registered to train drivers on the operation of vehicles and the proper use of roads, and these driving schools are owned by private operators.
We also wish to state that FRSC has on many occasions sent its personnel on training at the NITT, Zaria, and the knowledge gained from such trainings are of added values to the overall operations of the Corps.
On this note, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi reiterates his regular stand that constructive opinions and criticisms that will aid the protection of lives and properties on the nation’s highway are always welcome, as road safety is a shared responsibility. The Corps however owes it as a responsibility to always correct any misperception that could lead to misunderstanding by members of the public.”