The West African region leads other regions globally in the number of road crashes and fatalities, Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said.
While speaking at the 2021 West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO) Day in Lagos on Saturday, he stated that West Africa generated 16 per cent of road fatalities and crashes in the world.
Addressing the theme “Road Safety Consciousness in the Midst of Global Pandemic”. Ogungbemide said WARSO was established to reduce the rate of raod crashed in the region.
“On the average, 18 deaths are recorded out of 100,000 world population number and the population of West Africa vehicular volume stands at two per cent compared to the entire world,” he said.
He added, “It is quite unfortunate that the rate of crashes and fatalities in West Africa stands at 16 per cent out of the two per cent vehicles compared to the world which means we contribute enormously to crashes compare to the number of vehicles owned by West Africa.
“That is why our decision as a region is in line with the FRSC which serve as a lead agency for so many years being able to drop the rate of crashes in Nigeria, let the entire West African Counties key into this.
“The truth of the matter is that we have a road linkage, people travel from Nigerian through Seme, from Togo to Ghana and so on while the road crashes on these roads are enormous.
“If Nigeria can play this lead role why not extent it to the entire West Africa, that is what gave birth to WARSO,” Ogunbemide explained.
Also speaking, Lagos-Ogun Commanding Officer, Deputy Corps Marshal Peter Kibo, represented by Deputy Corps Commander, Gali Bata, urged other countries to work toward ensuring that crashes were addressed and reduced to barest minimum in the region.
, Lagos, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said){kind=link}