Why FRSC officers should bear arms – Reps Committee chair, Akinfolarin

The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says operatives of the corps will begin to bear arms to curtail the excesses of road users in the country.

The Chairman of the committee, Rt. Hon.
Mayowa Akinfolarin said this during the corps’ 2020 budget performance and 2021 budget defence, in Abuja on Thursday.

He said that the 1992 Act of FRSC allowed the corps to bear arms, adding, however, that this had yet to be implemented.

The chairman said it was necessary that the laws of the land were obeyed to allow the corps to function effectively by bearing arms.

According to him, eradicating accidents on the nation’s highways should be the collective responsibility of all Nigerians, adding that no stone should be left unturned to achieve this.

The lawmaker said that the committee would meet with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and also write to President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the implementation of the Act.

A member of the committee, Solomon Maren, while speaking on the FRSC bearing arms, said that the committee would take up the matter with the Inspector-General of Police.

He added that the country’s law should be obeyed, stressing that there were more risks on the roads, hence the FRSC should be allowed to bear arms to safe road users.

The FRSC Corps Marshall, Boboye Oyeyemi, said that members of the corps were now faced with more deviant road users, some of whom, he said, had threatened to deal with them on the road.

He solicited for help from the committee to curtail the excesses of road users by ensuring that FRSC personnel were allowed to bear arms.

Mr Oyeyemi said that the corps now had 280 formations cross the country and it had established its presence in virtually all the local government areas across the country.

The corps marshal said that the only place left were the riverine areas of Akwa Ibom, Ondo and other states.

He also said that in 2020, only 50 per cent of the budget was released, stressing that this could not allow the corps to embark on some capital projects.

Mr Oyeyemi said that N1.459 billion was remitted to the consolidated account by the corps in the outgoing year.

He urged the federal government to direct local government to relocate markets on highways in order to stop incessant deaths.

However, while giving further clarification on the subject matter. The committee chairman in statement released on Friday wrote as follows;

Fellow Nigerians;

It has become imperative for me to give necessary clarifications over a statement credited to me, and as a mark of respect for those who voted for me, I wish to state categorically as follows that;

I, Hon. Akinfolarin Mayowa Samuel, do not have a Motion nor a Bill pending on the subject matter. What was reported concerning the meeting held between FRSC and the House Committee on FRSC was a misrepresentation of my view and position on the subject matter.

In the said meeting, I made it abundantly clear that the eradication of accidents and protection of lives and properties on our roads is a collective responsibility of every citizen of Nigeria.

While it is important to protect the lives and properties of road users, it is equally important to protect that of law enforcement agents on the road. It is two sides of a coin, as the lives of road users matters, so also the law enforcement agent lives matters too and no responsible and responsive government will allow the lives of citizens to be endangered.

As stakeholders, we must all look for ways of ensuring the safety of our people by coming together to cross-fertilize ideas on how to eradicate accidents on our roads and as well protect the lives and ensure adequate security of both the road users and the law enforcement agents.

I suggested a committee should be setup that will comprise the Executive, Commission (FRSC), and National Assembly to look into how we can help the Road Safety Personnel in carrying out their civic duties without molestation or harassment by unruly road users.

It will sound very unreasonable for me to move a motion or sponsor a bill for bearing Arms to FRSC officers when we already have the FRSC Establishment Act of 2007.

On a final note, I will like to appreciate those who took time to call me to seek clarification, criticize constructively and otherwise, as it is the beauty of participatory democracy.

Thank you all and God bless Nigeria.