The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said on Wednesday that it would establish an outpost and ambulance point on Lapai-Agaie road for quick response to road crashes.

Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed stated during a condolence visit to Niger state government over the recent tragic accident that claimed 60 lives on Lapai-Agaie Road.

No fewer than 60 persons lost their lives to a petrol tanker explosion on Bida-Agaie-Lapai road on Sunday.

Mr Mohammed said that the tragic incident that claimed many lives could have been avoided.

He said that he had directed corps safety engineering department to carry out a crash investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident and make recommendations.

“The report will be forwarded to the appropriate authority and the state government for consideration through the sector commander in the state,” he said.

The corps marshal said that the agency had adopted a safe system approach in line with the United Nations action and strategy to reduce road crashes by 50 per cent.

According to him, it is a holistic approach to road transport system where there will be interaction between people, vehicles and the road environment.

“What it means is that, yes, crashes must occur, but they should not result to the death of people or cause serious injuries.

“Fatalities would have been avoided in the multiple accidents if only the driver heeded the advice of the passengers and passers-by.

“The driver of the truck that carried people and cows was advised not to proceed when the patrol tanker was burning but didn’t listen,” he said.

Responding, Gov. Umaru Bago of Niger, represented by his deputy, Yakubu Garba, thanked the corps marshal for the visit and the proactiveness of the sector.

He said that the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) was working to unravel the cause of the accident.

The governor called for attitudinal change among drivers and appealed to the federal government to address the deplorable state of federal roads in the state.

He advised that the FRSC report on the accident should take into account the deplorable state of the Lapai-Agaie-Katch-Bida road.

He maintained that the road, which linked the north to southern states of the country, needed holistic intervention. 

(NAN)