From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Kaduna Command, Corps Kabir Nadabo has flagged off operation sanity on Kaduna roads in conjunction with Kaduna State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Corps Nadabo said the sanity campaign on Kaduna roads has become necessary because of recklessness of motorists beating traffic rules in recent times.
He disclosed that the sector has so far recorded 25 crashes this January on the roads in the State, adding that the sector has identified 93 dangerous spots where traffic rules are mostly disobeyed.
The Sector Commander stated this on Tuesday when executive members of the NUJ paid the Command a courtesy call.
Corps Nadabo used the opportunity of the courtesy call to honour the NUJ Chairman, Abdulgafar Alabelewe to cut the tape in flagging off the operation sanity.
Shortly after the brief ceremony, Sector Commander moved with NUJ officials and his men to Rabbah road in the city centre as an example of where traffic rules are regularly violated.
As if confirming the fears of the Sector Commander, some motorists were instantly seen violating the traffic rules under the nose of FRSC officials and journalists at the spot.
“We have so far recorded 25 crashes in this 2025 on Kaduna roads. We have identified 93 dangerous places on Kaduna roads for traffic violations. A motorcycle rider who violates the traffic rule will be arrested and fined N5,000 while motor owners who violated the traffic will also be arrested and fined N50,000. This operation sanity will last for four months. There must be sanity on our roads. In advance countries you don’t associate poverty with sanity. But in Nigeria the reverse is the case.
“Just yesterday I was in mufti, I saw somebody violating the rule and he was trying to be insulting. He was insulting me. Disobeying traffic rule has degenerated to this level, something needs to be done. The Road Safety in Kaduna is all out to stop this offence. This year we launched, “Speak to the Drivers” urging passengers to talk to any drivers not driving according to the rules. It is all over the news that some people who were going back to Kano from Jos had an accident, and all of them, 19 of them died. It was only the driver that survived.
“So we are calling on passengers to protest whenever they see their drivers misbehaving on the steering. You can even call on the Road Safety officers and men on our emergency lines. We also have an application on the Google, whatever you want to know about the Road Safety, you can download it there. It is very easy, you can even use it to monitor the speed of the driver. We need to train your members so that they help us to enlighten the general public
“I deliberately chose the NUJ chairman to perform the function because of the love and respect we have for your office and your members in Kaduna State. It is the flagg off of operation sanity jointly by the Sector Commander and State Chairman NUJ, to track, arrest and deal with motorists that are found committing traffic offence here on Kaduna roads. At this juncture, I handover the microphone to you, Mr. Chairman to perform the ceremony”. Corps Nadabo said.
The NUJ chairman, Alabelewe said, “This is a rare privilege for me as the Chairman of the Kaduna State council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to flagg off this operation. This is something that ordinary Nigerians don’t consider as very important, the issue of safety. People think that insecurity is killing more Nigerians than road crashes. But road crashes are taking human lives every now and then”.
END.