By Olabode Adaramola, Niger

The Niger State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps( FRSC) has said that from available records at its disposal, that a total of 9,383 road traffic crashes were recorded in in 2017, with 2,587 being fatal and 5, 121 people killed.

The Sector Commander, FRSC, Niger  State Sector Command, Corps Commander Joel Ishaya Dagwa stated this on Tuesday in Minna, the State capital on the occasion of the 2018 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Crash Victims with the Theme: “Roads Have Stories”.

At the occasion held at the State Secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists ( NUJ) Niger State Council, IBB Pen House, Minna, Corps Commander Dagwa further disclosed that Niger State accounted for 516 crashes and 197 deaths in the period under review.

He added that beyond the statistics, were human beigns hilighting further  that the victims may be fathers, mothers, spouses, children, friends,and colleagues among others, while their demise left in its wake trauma,economic dislocation and psychological disturbances.

Dagwa said, ” the World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims is to awaken the consciousness of those of us that are alive to the effect of Road Traffic Crash( RTC) and the fact that it is preventable and avoidable” .

He noted that FRSC, as the lead agency in Road Safety, administration, in Nigeria, has been in the vanguard of ensuring that raod safety is kept on the front burner , adding that FRSC has also been advocating that road safety is a shared responsibility which calls for team work.

The Sector Commander however described as unfortunate that the statistics given above seems to be mere figures to most  people, stressing that this attitude is manifested in the conduct of some road users whom he pointed out,errorneously believe that they are immune to road traffic crash, hence they behave anyhow on the  road.

He thereby admonished that “as we observe this year’ s edition of this solemn celebration, we appeal to all road users to appreciate  the gravity attached to using the road. They should endeavour to observe all the rules guiding their conducts while on the road- from vehicles maintenance, to driving skills to sharing the road with others and even animals and to their mental and psychological balance.