Fulani herdsmen were blamed for those killed by Gana – MACBAN

The Cross River State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Cyprian Offordu, has pleaded with the Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V over the rate of multiple accidents in the state.

The Sector Commander Offordu, who visited the Obong in his Palace in Calabar, lamented the number of accidents and deaths recorded in the state, explaining that more than 12 persons have died in avoidable accidents in the state and regretted the incidents.

Offordu, who went to the Palace with key officers of his command, pleaded with the Obong to appeal to his subjects to obey COVID-19 protocols and traffic regulations.

He said, “We cannot do it without your blessing, we are facing a lot of challenges here, you may be aware of the number of deaths recorded here, it’s too alarming.

“People died in such a way that we least expected it, so we have to rush to you for help and ask for special prayers. I did not come here to count the number of deaths but to promote safety in our roads so that when I leave those that have the opportunity to meet me will say of a truth, this man laboured in our state.

“Permit me sir, to remind you that I need your assistant, the day of overloading is gone and we cannot do anything, but these drivers and the owners of vehicles sometimes become confrontational and attack our personnel hence we come to you to beg you to talk to them through your chiefs and other monarchs to tell them that overloading and attacking of our men are no longer in practice.

“And that it’s not in the best interest of the state, because people are dying, Daddy please help us, we have tried and spoken our grammar, please come to our help,” Sector Commander pleaded.

Speaking, an adviser in the Obong’s Palace, Otuekong Effiong Eyo Ekpe, appealed to the sector commander to continue with intermittent enlightenment in the motor parks, streets, and everywhere to drive home the message of overloading and accident on our road

“We request and appeal to the sector commander that there should be intermittent enlightenment both in motor parks, streets, and everywhere to drive home this message of overloading and accidents.

“It will help because, once in a while, you create an enlightenment program in the park, this in effect will help because that is the scene of the incident, when you do this, meet with the leaders of these transport companies it will go a long way to solve this problem.

“Let them know the consequences of the action and the penalty involved, they will retrace their steps, you also need to partner government in this regard, to be honest to you, the state is vast, it take 6 hours or more to travel from one end to the other and the roads are in bad shape and so when you embarking on this enlightenment talk to them about this bad roads too.

“Bad roads is one of the reasons we have accidents, overloading is only one of the aspects and the another aspect too are vehicles, some of the vehicles are not road worthy, be very strict on this, while checking the tyres, what happened to the breaks, mostly, there should be periodic checks, not only the licence that you check but the durability of the vehicles, should be looked at, from this, we will be able to reduce accident on our roads,” he stated

The Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V, urged the sector commander to organise enlightenment programs in and outside the motor parks, create programs and seminars and training but regretted that most Nigerians don’t want to read.