Ember Months: Awhinawhi Urges FRSC To Redouble Efforts

AS the nation enters the “ember” months, the member representing Udu/Ughelli North and South Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Solomon Ahwinahwi has appealed to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to double efforts and help save lives in the task of maintaining safety on the roads and highways.

Chief Ahwinahwi made the call during a visit to a road accident victim, Mrs Florence Akporode, who lost one of her‎ legs after being knocked down in an accident involving a heavy-duty utility truck and a bullion van of one of the old generation banks, along Udu Road near Warrri in Delta State, recently.

While lamenting the high rate of casualty and fatal mishaps on Nigerian roads, he urged road users, especially those on wheels, to be extra careful not to constitute nuisance or cause avoidable deaths of innocent citizens.

According to him, “We must all engage in the art of defensive driving ‎so as to prevent untimely deaths and preventable misfortunes in view of an increase in the tempo of commercial activities in both big and small cities and towns across the country.”

“We must complement the efforts of government and the FRSC by observing all traffic laws, avoiding over-speeding, drunk driving and outright negligence,” he said.

Ahwinahwi, who donated cash among other clinical items to the accident victim, warned all banks and other corporate organisations, especially those operating in Ughelli/Udu Federal Constituency to call their drivers as well as transport managers to order, declaring that the Udu Road incident involving a tipper, a bank and Mrs Akporode who has already lost one leg and even the other broken, will not be swept under carpet.
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The lawmaker disclosed that the issue will be brought to the floor of the House of Representatives after which necessary legal actions would be instituted and the culprits brought to book in line with provisions of the law.

Relating her ordeal, the visibly devastated Mrs Florence Akporode‎ explained how a tipper truck loaded with materials, in a bid to dodge a high-speeding bullion van of a bank with a branch along Udu Road, driving against traffic, ran into her where she was, away from the road, crushing her legs and rendering her incapacitated, she said in tears.