By Mukhtar Sani Saulawa, Gombe
Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya performed the official flag-off of 2020 Ember Month Campaign in an effort to reduce carnage on roads to the barest minimum.
Preforming the event at Gombe Line Transport Service Terminus in the metropolis, the Governor lamented that in spite of concerted efforts by the Federal Road Safety Corps, road crashes have continued to task the ingenuity and technical capacity of enforcement agencies.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau, the Governor noted that the greatest challenge to road safety management in Nigeria remains the poor attitude and psychology of the average Nigerian road user regardless of economic and social stratum.
He said “Ember Months” over the years have come to represent the peak of human and vehicular movements in Nigeria.
According to him, the celebration of the yuletide, the congregation of individuals, communities, and groups for various socio-cultural festivities and celebrations at this period of the year and the prospects of a successful transition to a new year are reasons for this age-long seasonal movement with associated road crashes and traffic management problems “.
He described the theme” Drive safe and stay safe” as well chosen in view of the mindless destruction of lives and property witnessed on daily basis on the high ways.
The Governor stressed that maintaining safety on roads is a collective responsibility which requires the synergy of all stakeholders, expressing his administration’s commitment to partner FRSC, and other law enforcement agencies, various unions to ensure that road traffic violations are tamed.
He called on the citizens to be law abiding and obey traffic rules and regulations in line with the year’s ” Ember Month ” campaign theme” Drive safe, stay safe” towards minimizing road traffic accidents and safe valuable lives and properties of the people.
The Commissioner of Works, Engr. Abubakar Bappa, who is also the chairman of the occasion, commended the FRSC for embarking on the Ember months campaign towards protection of lives and property of people.