NARTO to train 1, 000 drivers
By AbdulRaheem Aodu
Kaduna
Petroleum tanker owners have lost over N3.2 billion to 62 road crashes involving 65 petroleum tankers in 2017, in addition to several losses of lives, the Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, has said.
Declaring open the National Executive Council/State Chairmen Joint meeting of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) in Kaduna, the Corps Marshall attributed the road crashes to “drivers’ recklessness, over speeding, use of motor boys in most cases and night driving.”
He called on NARTO to protect their investment by checkmating the activities of reckless drivers, “particularly motor boys who have become drivers overnight.” Oyeyemi warned against overloading, particularly carriage of fire woods and cows on tankers, saying it had become so embarrassing carrying human beings along with animals.
He, however, commended the federal government for the Kaduna-Abuja railway lines, which, according to him, has reduced much pressure on the roads by vehicles.
Oyeyemi disclosed that the FRSC had conducted training, re-training as well as re-certification of tanker/trailer (truck) drivers’ programmes in nine designated centres nationwide.
“As you commence deliberations, let me also urge you to address acts of indiscipline being perpetrated by truck drivers especially in lane discipline, axle load violation and violation to use retro-reflective tapes for proper illumination of their vehicles as well as indiscriminate/ illegal parking.”
National President of NARTO, Alhaji Kassim Bataiya, in his speech, lamented the spate of road crashes, disclosing that the association was planning a training programme for 1,000 drivers in addition to the one organised by the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD).
The NARTO boss called on the federal government to review the Act that established the FRSC in order to accommodate activities of the association, adding that the association would appreciate if his members could be allocated special parking space to avoid parking on the highways.
