Acting-President Osinbajo inaugurates Road Safety Advisory Council

Nigeria’s acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has inaugurated the National Road Safety Advisory Council to drive the effective implementation of the National Road Safety strategy.The inauguration is in line with the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption in March 2010, of a resolution towards improving global road safety through the proclamation of the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020.The plan, which is aimed at reducing the level of road traffic deaths around the world, provides pillars of overall framework for activities which must be taken within the decade.At the inauguration of the Council, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma said that the UN members were also “expected to develop a guiding document for the events and activities they would promote as part of the decade.” He said it was pursuant to this global call that the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, in conjunction with the Federal Road Safety Corps, developed a national strategic document, ”˜the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy 2014 to 2018.’ It has been approved by the Federal Executive Council and the National Economic Council.According to him, the National Road Safety Strategy document is underlined by the conscious design to establish an integral national road map for prosecuting road safety campaign in Nigeria.’’The document took into consideration the multi-dimensional nature of road safety management by outlining the responsibilities and harmonising different road safety initiatives of various tiers of government, international agencies, civil society organisations, the private sector and other stakeholders,” he stated.Responding on behalf of other members of the council, the Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo said they would do their best to ensure that the mandate given to them was well executed.Members of the council, which is headed by the vice-president are; Six Governors, representing the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, the Ministers of Transportation, Works, Health, Education, Environment, Labour and Productivity, Finance, Interior as well as the minister of Budget and National planning.Others are the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the National Security Adviser.