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Analysing Shehu Mohammed’s sagacity and how FRSC emerged best in Website performance barely 4 months as Corps Marshal

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FRSC CORPS MARSHAL COMMISERATES WITH FAMILIES OF DECEASED PERSONNEL KILLED IN ACTIVE SERVICE

Analysing Shehu Mohammed’s sagacity and how FRSC emerged best in Website performance barely 4 months as Corps Marshal

Nigeria is one of the few African countries that has leveraged on some road safety principles and have recorded remarkable progress in road safety administration and management despite a ‘gloomy’ beginning. The road safety situation in Nigeria was so deplorable that the World Health Organisation once described the country as ‘worst in the world to travel on’ only next to Ethiopia.

That narrative changed through government’s efforts by establishing the Federal Road Safety Commission as the Lead Agency to guarantee safety on every centimetre of Nigeria’s expansive road network of 204,000km. This establishment was done ten years prior to United Nations recommendation for all member states to establish agencies directly situated under the central government for ease of unfretted operation.

In its three decades of unbroken services to humanity as a lead agency in traffic and safety management, FRSC has recorded tremendous achievements in the area of Traffic Engineering, Road Safety Administration, Traffic Management and Crash reduction.

The Corps has now come of age after going through good times and tides. Through the use of state of the art Information Technology facilities, the Corps has been able to enhance its operational capacity aimed at promoting public safety and security. Having been propelled by the imperatives of entrenching ease of doing business as well as align with international standards in all fronts, the Corps has successfully designed and operated over 30 web applications for its operational activities so as to create an accessible platform for the general public.

Some of these applications cover, the Uniform Licensing scheme, under which is the ONE DRIVER ONE RECORD which enables FRSC track and match records of drivers with their drivers licence, vehicle number plate, traffic offences and others in a single view.

Introduction of the toll free 122 emergency number and a 24 hours call center established to reduce response time for crash victims; a single step that has reduced emergency response time from 50 minutes to 15 minutes thereby decreasing the number of fatalities in crash situations. More so, the introduction of Verification Portal for drivers licence and number plates, the introduction of the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS) for uniformity and harmonization of fleet operators in the country, the Driving School Standardisation Scheme (DSSP), the introduction of the speed limiting device whose enforcement began on 1st February, 2017, introduction of vehicle and body worn cameras to monitor patrol operations, and the vehicle tracking system among others, are policies formulated and implemented to fight road traffic crash in the country to extinction.

The Corps led that foundation for itself, knowing that the road transportation sector in Nigeria accounts for over 90% of passengers and freight movement, and this exerts undue pressure on the FRSC in discharging its cardinal responsibilities. In view of the growing need to surmount these visible and invisible challenges, the Corps embarked on several reforms which include but not limited to the following: Development of a national road safety strategy roadmap, improved operational efficiency, enhanced regulatory environment, and accelerated response capability to situations that needed immediate actions, amongst others.

Added to the aforementioned, the Corps took a step further, defined it’s path in tandem with UN decade of action as well as the mantra of functional 21st century organization by chatting a path to meet the Accra declaration of 50% reduction in fatality by 2015. That aside, it went all the way to institute modalities to achieve UN decade of action on road Safety of 50% fatality reduction by 2020, and place Nigerian roads within the league of 20 global safest roads by 2020, as well as UN Decade of Action 2021-2030 which aims at having a society where crashes result in no deaths.

To achieve the stated targets, the Corps developed transformational initiatives focused on People, Processes and Technology (PPT). That is why today, not only does its staff pride as the most disciplined, but the Corps stands as the best Information Technology (IT) driven organization in Nigeria with its robust data base and over 95 percentage digitalized administrative and operational procedures. Mm

Having given that background, it is noteworthy to look at how the Corps, under the leadership of the present Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed who of course, was amongst members of the group who blazed the trail to set up what is now known as a technology driven organization, emerged the best amongst over 315 MDAs in Website performance and ranking.

It may interest you to know that the 2023-2024 Federal Government Scorecard for ranking Websites of Ministries, Departments and Agencies is an essential benchmark for evaluating the current state of government websites in Nigeria. FRSC’s Website was selected as the best following a very meticulous, highly diligent and extremely objective review of the Websites of 315 MDAs which were subjected to evaluation for the period under consideration.

The Bureau of Public Service Reforms, a Federal Government agency under the Presidency that organised and issued the award on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR justified the relevance of the ranking. According to them, the effectiveness and functionality of government websites have become a critical component of Nigeria’s public service reform agenda as the nation increasingly adopts digital platforms as the primary means of communication, service delivery and information dissemination. As such, FRSC’s Website was found to host a huge collection of information about all products and services of the Corps for the consumption of the general public. This feat placed the Corps ahead of its contemporaries in public service.

That said, to unravel the mystery behind how FRSC made it to the top in information technology and eventually emerged best amongst peers, it is important to look at the direction of leadership and policy focus of the administration of Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed.

The trajectory of his career as a road safety professional from the day he joined the services of the Agency till date are the very factors that have shaped him as an all-rounder in road safety management and administration with a firm and fair handling of goal-oriented affairs as the Corps Marshal.

Upon assumption of office, Shehu Mohammed alongside his team of management, designed and implemented programmes of action, as well as a proactive template to advance the growth of the Corps in all ramifications, with the aim of trending down road crashes and fatality rate.

Being a believer of technology, the Corps Marshal made the digitisation of FRSC operations a cardinal part of his policy thrust. To that end, he took a bold step that was the first of its kind since the establishment of the Corps, by appointing a Technical Adviser who will mount the wheels that would eventually bring FRSC to speed in the deployment of information technology in the work place. This placement of round pegs in round holes was the catalyst, the propellant force, as well as the icing on the cake that catapulted the Corps to more enviable heights and achievements in digitisation.

Retrospectively, Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed has been an integral part of the digitalization process and has driven the technology feat of this noble organization for years now, beginning from Corps Marshal Osita Chidoka who started the revolution to the erstwhile Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi who sustained the expertise, through to the immediate past Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu who kept the momentum.

To say the least, his experience has seen the Corps measure to billing as he is already on the glorious path of unravelling the mystery that would finally bring about the overall digitisation of FRSC operations.

Additionally, just as stated in my last piece, part of the major initiatives introduced by Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed that brought about the needed result for the Corps, is the ongoing digital revolution.

The introduction of Electronic Document Management System ( Paperless) in the workplace would surely make FRSC the first Federal Government Agency to go paperless. This initiative, apart from the speed it will bring to the workplace, will also enhance ease of doing business and bring down the cost of governance. In the same vein, adequate progress is being recorded on the operational front too, he, Shehu Mohammed has gone a step further by initiating and launching the first FRSC Mobile Application, a one-stop shop for all FRSC products and services, for quality service delivery. The FRSC Mobile App was introduced to generate and analyse real-time data on operations, Traffic Crashes data management, and road conditions, and provide customers with feedback on the Corps’ products.

The introduction of the National Crash Information Recording System portal (NACRIS) is another ground breaking robust data collation initiative that will help in policy formulation, planning, and education. With this portal, Nigerians could easily report cases of crashes from the point of crash. This initiative will boost data legitimacy and change global perception of FRSC crash data reports for good.

The Corps under his purposeful leadership, has proven to be right on track to allay the menace of road traffic crashes on Nigerian roads and usher in a season where there would be no crashes; where even if crashes will occur, it would not result in the death of any Nigerian. Achievements of such would be recorded based on many pillars and strict implementation of his policy thrust fused in the Corporate Strategic goals of the Corps.

To this end, suffice it to state that as a performance driven organization, with clearly set measurable Key performance Indicators, FRSC is today, the only law enforcement organization in Nigeria certified by the International Standard Organization.

Bisi Kazeem, a veteran road safety professional and a public relations expert, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

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OTUNBA WASIU JAIYEOLA BAGS TASUED’S DOCTORATE DEGREE

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OTUNBA WASIU JAIYEOLA BAGS TASUED’S DOCTORATE DEGREE

 

In recognition of his impactful contributions to clothing and textile industry in Ogun state in particular and Nigeria in general, the Governing Council of Tai Solarin University of Education, ijagun is set to honour the Founder of Wessy Creations, Otunba Jaiyeola Wasiu, with the Doctor of Science, D.sc Ed (Honoris causa) in Textile and Clothing.

The letter of conferment of the award dated September 30, 2024 with reference number TASUED/REG.122/VOL.1/006 and signed by the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Oluwole Banjo, indicated that: “The Award is in recognition of your passion for education, and numerous contributions to the advancement of human race in general.”

The letter reads further: “The University takes special recognition of your numerous professional achievements and community services, including your exemplary leadership roles in our Nation as an elder statesman whose modest achievements and accomplishments represent the idea of integrity and selflessness, which our University stand for.
“The University joins well-meaning Nigerians in celebrating your humble, worthy, and outstanding legacies in the service of humanity.
“We also congratulate you and your family on your many notable achievements in life”.

The conferment ceremony is slated for Thursday, 28th November, 2024 at the School Auditorium in Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

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Family Pleads With FG to save brother in South African prison

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Family Pleads With FG to save brother in South African prison

Family Pleads With FG to save brother in South African prison

 

The family of a Nigerian businessman, Olatunji Abdul, imprisoned in South Africa, has called on the Nigerian government and the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, to intervene and save his life urgently.

The family, at a press conference on Thursday at Ikeja, alleged that Olatunji, a businessman and humanitarian, who has been held in a South African prison since 2019, is a victim of false charges allegedly orchestrated by state agents and xenophobic business rivals and that he is facing imminent danger.

PUNCH Metro gathered that through a petition submitted by the founder of Zarephath Aid, Ben Abraham, an international criminal justice organisation, the family narrated the ordeal of the Osun State-born entrepreneur.

 

Abdul, who relocated to South Africa in 2009, established himself as a prominent figure in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

According to the family, as the founder and CEO of Hydro Club, a leading hospitality consultancy in Johannesburg, he provided employment opportunities for Nigerians and supported businesses, students, and tourists in the diaspora.

However, his family believes his success made him a target for xenophobic competitors and corrupt officials.

 

Olatunji’s brother, Sesan, revealed that in 2019, these forces allegedly initiated a scheme, called “#DestroyAbdul,” aimed at destroying his reputation and business ventures.

Sesan claimed that this led to his wrongful arrest, denial of bail, and coercion into providing false confessions.

“In 2020, Olatunji was convicted on charges of theft and sentenced to 15 years in prison, a sentence his supporters insist was based on fabricated evidence.’

“Despite being granted leave to appeal his sentence in November 2024, Abdul is said to be facing further challenges as his efforts to secure legal representation for his appeal have been thwarted.

 

“Several lawyers have reportedly withdrawn from his case due to threats and intimidation, leaving him to represent himself in court,” he said.

His family further stated that his situation is worsening, with fears of poisoning in prison and the confiscation of his laptop, which he needed for legal preparation.

The family, along with Zarephath Aid, appealed to the FG to act swiftly to prevent Olatunji’s death.

 

“If nothing is done, we risk losing a man who has brought pride to Nigeria and significantly contributed to the Nigerian diaspora.”

The petition reads. “Abdul is not a criminal; he is a victim of a malicious plot to destroy him.”

Olatunji’s physical and emotional health has reportedly deteriorated.

His family added that without intervention, his life remains in grave danger.

“This is not just about Abdul,” said Ben Abraham of Zarephath Aid. “It is about protecting Nigerians abroad who face unjust persecution despite their positive contributions.

 

“Abdul is an example of what Nigerians can achieve, and he deserves the protection of his country,” he said.

“Abdul is not just a businessman; he is a father, a son, and a role model for Nigerians in the diaspora. Nigeria must act now to bring him home,” the family stated.

 

 

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How Visiting US-based Nigerian bought nine drugs before death 

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How Visiting US-based Nigerian bought nine drugs before death 

How Visiting US-based Nigerian bought nine drugs before death

 

The Ogun State Police Command on Thursday said it found nine different drugs and medications in the hotel room of the visiting US-based 51-year-old Sunday Abidoye whose lifeless body was discovered at the Creestar Hotel room, GRA, Sagamu, on Wednesday.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday to confirm Abidoye’s death.

Odutola explained that the Chief Security Officer of the hotel, one Mr Oluwole, reported the incident regarding the discovery of the deceased customer to the police, five days after his arrival from the United States of America.

She said on receiving the report, a team of detectives visited the scene and on arrival, found the body of the deceased already placed inside a car outside the hotel, being prepared to be taken to the morgue by his family.

 

Odutola said that the deceased’s brother, Jimoh Godday, residing in Imota, Lagos State, informed the police team that his brother had arrived in Nigeria from the USA on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

 

She explained further that Godday said he had called at the hotel on Monday and knocked on Room 109, where his brother was staying, but got no response after which he requested a spare key from the manager to enter the room, where they discovered his brother’s lifeless body.

Odutola said, “Photos were taken, and various drugs and traditional medicines were recovered from the room.

 

“The centre of the bed was soaked with a liquid-like substance. A friend of the deceased, Ogunmonti Ogunwole, confirmed that he accompanied his friend, Sunday, to purchase nine different types of medication the previous day due to his complaints of illness.

“The body has since been evacuated to OOUTH morgue in Sagamu for an autopsy.

“No known cause of death yet, and the case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation.”

 

 

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