The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), on Wednesday, unveiled a comprehensive strategy aimed at tackling recurring road challenges across the state.

The sector commander of FRSC in Abia, Ngozi Ezeoma, disclosed this during the 2025 “Ember Months” stakeholders townhall meeting in Umuahia, with the theme “Road Safety is a Shared Responsibility: Drive to Arrive Safely”.

Ms Ezeoma said that the new approach combined enforcement, education, and stakeholder engagement to ensure safer roads.

“Our strategy involves widespread public enlightenment in motor parks, churches, mosques, and other community centres to address non-compliance, drunk driving, and reckless behaviour on the roads,” she said.

She also said that the command had started visiting churches, motor parks, and traditional rulers to promote road safety advocacy.

According to her, the command would intensify mobile court operations for swift prosecution of offenders, conduct vehicle certification with inspectors and transport unions, and deploy personnel strategically along high-risk corridors.

She emphasised the importance of community-based advocacy, involving traditional leaders, youth groups, and local citizens, in sustaining road safety consciousness.

“This meeting is not a monologue but a platform for engagement and I encourage stakeholders to share ideas and propose practical, community-driven solutions,” Ms Ezeoma said.

She commended the support of public agencies, religious leaders, fleet operators, NGOs, and the media, saying that their partnership had been vital to the command’s achievements.

In a speech, the commissioner for transport, Chimezie Ukaegbu, described road safety as a shared responsibility, and urged road users to take collective action in reducing accidents.

mr Ukaegbu described the event’s theme as both inspiring and spiritually guided, adding that accidents were rarely caused by bad luck but often by bad decisions.

He charged FRSC to intensify public enlightenment and admonished everyone to adopt a culture of patience, responsibility, and respect on the roads.

In a remark, the state coordinator of the FRSC Special Marshals, Kingsley Nwachi, said that statistics from the FRSC indicate a decline in road crashes.

Mr Nwachi expressed optimism that participants would, after the event, be better informed and more committed to ensuring that road accidents in the state were further reduced to the barest minimum.

Also, the chairperson of Association of Heads of Federal Establishments, Gloria  Abiakam, called for collective responsibility in promoting road safety during the Ember Months.

Ms Abiakam said that every act of caution and responsibility could save a family from grief and ensure every journey ended in safety and reunion.

She lauded FRSC officers for their vigilance and sacrifice, describing their service as humanity in action and a model of public commitment.

ms Abiakam expressed the hope that the meeting would inspire renewed awareness, stronger collaboration, and sustained advocacy for safer roads in Abia and beyond.

The sector public education officer of the command, Jude Igbonekwu, dismissed the widespread belief that road accidents during ‘Ember Months’ are caused by “blood-sucking demons”.

Mr Igbonekwu described the notion as unfounded and misleading, arguing that such superstitions distract from the real causes of road mishaps.

He attributed the high rate of crashes during the period to reckless driving, impatience, speed, and disregard for traffic rules by motorists and road users, urging everyone to adopt safer driving habits.

Contributing, a fleet operator, Emmanuel Ogbonnaya, said that the event had provided him the opportunity to gain valuable information that would help improve his service delivery.

Mr Ogbonnaya also said that the meeting helped to increase his road safety consciousness, adding that he would share what he learnt with the drivers working with him.

The event featured lecture  presentation, drama, and an interactive session.

(NAN)