A Bill for an Act to amend the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Act 2007 to make officers bear arms has scaled the second reading in the House of Representatives.
The Bill was sponsored by Abiodun Adesida (APC, Ondo) and Olaide Muhammed (APC, Oyo) during yesterday’s plenary.
It seeks to establish the Road Safety Special Armed Squad and make members of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) from the rank of Deputy Corps Marshal to enjoy benefits attached to that grade, including retirement benefits.
The Bill also seeks to empower the commission with the responsibility of road traffic administration and safety management.
The Bill, when passed into law, will empower the commission to supervise users of public roads, regulate traffic, clear obstruction on any part of the public roads with the aim of preventing and minimising road traffic crashes.
It seeks to mandate the Federal Road Safety Commission to educate drivers, motorists and other members of the public on the proper use of roads and other related matters.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas referred the Bill to the committee on FRSC for further legislative actions.
Also, the House tasked FRSC to embrace technology-assisted enforcement, including Automatic Vehicle Local (AVL) systems, Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) systems, advanced analytics and data platforms among other potential options to manage traffic.
The call followed the adoption of a motion by Garba Muhammad (NNPP, Kano) during yesterday’s plenary.
Moving the motion, Mohammed said FRSC officers patrol the highways, apprehend traffic offenders, and issue traffic regulations to deter dangerous driving and regulate the issuance of driver’s licences to ensure only qualified individuals operate vehicles on the roads.
