As Nigerian Muslims join the rest of the world to observe Eid el Kabir elebration on Friday, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi has urged members of the public to show the spirit of patience while using the road to avoid road crashes, obstruction and death during the celebration. He made the call in his Sallah Message in which he urged the people to show love to other road users in the spirit of the celebration.
According to Bisi Kazeem, Corps Public Education Officer, FRSC, Oyeyemi while congratulating the Muslims on the observance of the feast, enjoined them to always show patience while using the road to prevent hazards. He assured members of the public that towards ensuring hitch-free celebration, adequate provisions has been made by the FRSC through deployment of personnel and logistics at the identified black spots across the country.
The Corps Marshal called on the road users to cooperate with members of the Corps and other security agencies deployed to ensure free flow of traffic and attend to emergencies during the celebration. "As you mark this year's Eid-el-Kabir, I urge you to show patience and obey all traffic rules and regulations to avoid any form of road mishaps," he stated.
On the level of preparedness of the FRSC to handle emergencies, the Corps Marshal urged members of the public not to hesitate to call FRSC Toll-free line: 122; 0700-CALL-FRSC (0700-2255-3772) or 112 to report emergency situations, noting that rescue teams have been mobilized and are on standby at strategic locations to respond promptly to distress calls. "I call on all Nigerians to join hands with the FRSC in its determination to ensure crash and obstruction-free celebration within the period and beyond," he added.
The Corps Marshal particularly warned drivers against engaging in dangerous driving, speeding, overloading and route violation, stressing that offences such as use of phone while driving, traffic light violation, route violation and dangerous driving will continue to attract psychological evaluation of the offenders.
It would be recalled that, Eid-El-Kabir celebration is an important date in the Islamic calendar when Muslims all over the world observe the feast of sacrifice in commemoration of the act of obedience by Prophet Ibrahim (AS). During the celebration, Muslims engage in prayer, sacrifice of animals; exchange of gifts and other religious activities with mass movement of people from one location to the other which heighten vehicular traffic during the period.