The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has cautioned driving school proprietors and instructors against prioritising financial gains over safety, warning that such practices undermine training standards and worsen road crash outcomes.

The Deputy Corps Marshal (Training), Abiodun Akinlade, gave the warning in his address at the 2026 Annual Mandatory Training Workshop for Proprietors and Instructors of Driving Schools.

The workshop, organised under the Driving School Standardisation Programme (DSSP), is being held from Wednesday April 29 to Friday May 15.

The training is across eight strategically selected centres nationwide to ensure accessibility and effective participation.

Mr Akinlade said professional driver education remained critical to achieving safer roads, noting that globally, quality training plays a key role in reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

He, however, lamented that many road crashes in Nigeria were linked to human factors, including poor knowledge, inadequate training, and weak safety culture.

According to him, this trend highlights the urgent need to strengthen systems that produce competent, responsible, and safety-conscious drivers.

He explained that the DSSP was introduced to ensure compliance with approved standards and alignment with global best practices in driver education.

Mr Akinlade emphasised that driving schools were foundational to road safety, describing proprietors and instructors as custodians of safe driving culture and key partners in reducing crashes.

“You must give priority to the safety of road users above income and resist any temptation to circumvent established processes for financial gain.

“Such unethical practices erode training quality and ultimately contribute to increased road traffic crashes,” he said.

He stressed that although income sustains business operations, human life remains sacred and irreplaceable, describing the driving school business as fundamentally a life-saving responsibility.

Mr Akinlade urged participants to maximise the opportunity provided by the workshop to enhance their knowledge, skills, and adherence to established standards.

The deputy corps marshal expressed appreciation to the FRSC corps marshal, Shehu Mohammed, for his leadership and for approving the workshop.

He said this provided a strategic platform for strengthening driver education and advancing road safety in Nigeria.

Mr Akinlade expressed confidence that the workshop would significantly improve driver training standards and contribute to reducing road crashes nationwide

Speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Uduma Uduma, described driver education and road safety as critical public health issues requiring sustained attention and collaboration.

Mr Uduma, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administration, Shehu Adamu, commended the FRSC for its sustained efforts in promoting road safety through the driving school standardisation programme.

The vice chancellor noted that the initiative had continued to enhance driver education and safety standards across the country.

He described the theme of the workshop as timely and relevant, as it addressed the critical issue of road traffic safety, particularly in the area of driver training and behaviour.

“Road safety should not be viewed solely as a transport issue but as a major public health concern.

“This is a public health issue. Many people see it only as a road safety problem, but it has far-reaching implications for the public health sector,” he said.

The vice-chancellor emphasised that driving school proprietors and instructors play a vital role as custodians of discipline and partners in national development.

He noted that the quality of training they provide directly affects the safety of millions of road users.

He reiterated NOUN’s commitment as an open and distance learning institution to leveraging education as a transformative tool for national development.

The training themed “Professional Driver Education Using Innovative Training Models to Improve Road Safety and Reduce Fatalities in Nigeria” will feature sessions on driving school administration and global practices.

(NAN)