The Federal Road Safety Corps has graduated no fewer than 20 participants in the Senior Course One of the FRSC Command and Staff College, Udi, Enugu State on Thursday.
Delivering his address at the graduation, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, said that the graduating participants are the touch bearers as they must keep showing the difference between their former self and reformation arising from their encounter with the college.
Oyeyemi advised the participants, after undergoing the six-month intensive course, that they must raise their games, adding that they need a considerable level of agility, astuteness, dedication and commitment to duty to excel.
According to him: “Your success will be measured by your loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which has given you the opportunity to serve at the various levels and to further prepare you for higher grounds.
“As a matter of fact, with the conclusion of this course, the Corps has become more open to foreign service in fulfillment of sub-regional nations seeking technical assistance to establish their own Road Traffic Agencies.
“It follows, therefore, that some of the course participants could be seconded for such missions soon and (the college will) accept participants from the Anglophone countries to attend both the senior and junior courses.
“Aside from the foreign mission, the course participants will be departing to their various stations to join hands with other personnel to sustain the implementation of the six relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2020-2030.”
The Corps Marshal said that the FRSC is forging ahead with its efforts to ensure that the desired behavioural change by all road users is achieved in the country.
Oyeyemi said: “The National Traffic Radio (NTR), 107.1 FM, inaugurated in 2019, transmitting 24/7 in five languages namely: English, Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and pidgin English have remained a veritable avenue for dissemination of road safety education, entertainment, interactive and for reporting.
“This too must be sustained while efforts are on to complement it with the National Traffic Television in the near future.”
In an address, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said he is optimistic that the graduating participants would bring their new knowledge to bear in the reduction of road crashes nationwide.
Mustapha, who was represented by a Permanent Secretary, Dr. Morris Mbaeri, said: “I sincerely urge the graduating participants of Senior Course One to put to good use lessons learnt at the college to make Nigeria safer and reduce road traffic crashes to the barest minimum.
“I must commend the focus of the Corps Marshal and management team of the FRSC for setting up this college and nursing to a success, which is culminating to today’s graduation. Thank you for doing a good job.”
Speaking, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, said that the Armed Forces Command and Staff College has continued to help security agencies in the country to build their personnel capacity and produce quality manpower.
Irabor, who was represented by Major General Julius Oni, lauded the FRSC for following the Armed Forces Command and Staff College road map and direction to set-up a formidable FRSC Command and Staff College culminating in the graduation of the first set of participants.
He said: “I commend the FRSC, its Corps Marshal and management for fighting hard and persisting in its quest to have a college for the training of high-level manpower for road safety in Africa. I say congratulations.
“I will want the corps to keep the existing synergy and collaboration with the armed forces since it will be of great benefit to the issue of safety of our people, especially on road safety.”
The Chairman of the FRSC Board, Bukhari Bello, lauded the participants for successful completion of the course and being of best behaviour during the course.
Bello said that the corps is indebted to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mustapha and the Enugu State Government for their continuous support.
“The Federal Government, notwithstanding its limited resources, has made it possible for FRSC to have additional institutions, especially the high-level manpower training Command and Staff College,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State extolled the new college for producing quality manpower within a short time of its establishment and pushing higher to break other frontiers.
Ugwuanyi said: “I want to thank the corp marshal and the commandant of the college and other staff for taking the pains to go through the rigours of the formative stage of this college.
“I challenge the graduating participants to bring out innovation and measures to improve road safety and reduce road crashes in the country.”
Ugwuanyi was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Simon Ortuanya.
In a welcome address, the Commandant of the college, Deputy Corps Marshal Nseobong Akpabio, said that the 20 graduating participants are from the rank of Chief Route Commanders and above, while they had intensive course activities in the last six months.
Akpabio charged the graduating participants to raise their games and do more to be more resourceful, dedicated and bring new innovative ideas to better the corps and its mandate.
“Twenty participants started the course on October 27, 2021 and all of them are successfully graduating today and they are well-equipped in command strategy, command administration, command communication and undertook study tours to various security agencies within the country,” he said.
It would be recalled that the FRSC Command and Staff College is a single service institution established to train middle-level Tactical and Operational officers.
It was established in January 2020 as FRSC Command and Staff College and Assistant Corps Marshal Nseobong Charles Akpabio (then) was appointed as the pioneer Commandant of the College.
Before the establishment of the FRSC Command and Staff College, the Corps did send officers to the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji for either Junior or Senior Course based on availability of slots for the Corps.
The products of the College have been a good representation of the AFCSC.
To beef up the capacity of our middle-level manpower of the officers’ corps, the Federal Road Safety Commission gave approval for the establishment of FRSC Command and Staff College in January, 2020.
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