……we are committed to creating a safer motoring environment…..Oyeyemi
……the plant will open up employment to youths…..Mbetsa
Nigeria compared to most African countries is said to have more number of vehicles, as a result incidents of speed related accidents are common.
This no doubt has continued to undermine the efforts put in place by the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC to contain the menace of road traffic accidents in the country.
To bring to the barest the high rate of accidents in Nigeria, the FRSC today inaugurated a production plant in Lagos for the production of speed limiting device.
Inaugurating the plant, FRSC corps Marshall, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi said the corps was committed to engaging stakeholders to proffer solutions to the identified road safety challenges in the country for national development.
He noted that the encouragement of local manufacturer to key in in setting up an assembly plant for the speed limiter in Nigeria, was not only to reduce cost of the product but also making it readily available to motorist for use.
According to him, about 51 vendors have been licensed to supply, install, calibrate and maintain the device in vehicles in the country.
Dr. Oyeyemi said, “available record shows that the successful implementation/enforcement which commenced 1st February, 2017 has witnessed meaningful results to Nigerians, ranging from reduction in the rate of road traffic crashes to creation of job opportunities for the citizens. Presently, a total of forty- three thousand five hundred and ninety-five (43,595) vehicles have been installed with speed limiting device nationwide”.
The corps marshal emphasized that with strict enforcement in the use of the device which is currently on going with commercial vehicles, the corps was determined to reduce road traffic crash by 15% and fatality by 25%.
He said this was doable with the 35% reduction in fatalities recorded during the just concluded Easter special patrol operations.
Dr. Oyeyemi commended Highway Digital Nigeria Limited and urge management of the company to keep to the highest standards in the production of the devices for safety of the road users.
Also speaking at the event, representative of the Director-General, Standards Organization of Nigeria and coordinator, Lagos, SON, Engr. Ugbaja Joseph said Highway Digital Nigeria Limited had lived up to expectation in compliance to standards.
He said samples tested met with the quality requirements of their standards and has been given certificate for the good product, adding that SON would continue to collaborate the FRSC to preserve the life and property.
In his address of welcome, Chief Executive Officer, Highway Digital Nigeria Limited, Mr. Morris Mbetsa while commending the FRSC for its relentless efforts in creating a safer motoring environment in the country, said the initiative of the use of the device would go a long way in achieving the FRSC desire in reducing crashes and deaths on the roads.
He said having a production plant in the country would help to create job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths.
Currently he said, ” so far the ones we work directly with in the factory,we have about 20-30 people and the technicians that we have on contract basis are more than 100.
For us, the cost of importation now has been cut by 50% with the production here, the device is affordable, for vendors is between N30,00,40,00if you buy in retail, if you are licensed and you want to buy directly from the factory, its N20,00-30,000 and we give two years warranty, we do installation”.
