The Commissioner for Transportation in Cross River State, Ekpenyong Cobham, has decried that only about 10 per cent of drivers in the state undergo training in driving schools.

Mr Cobham disclosed this during a sectoral workshop organised by the state command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) held in Calabar on Monday.

The theme of the workshop is: “Driving RS6.2 Excellence Through Productivity Enhancement.”

The commissioner said regulating traffic in the city had been challenging because even the 10 per cent of drivers privileged to pass through driving schools refused to practise what they were taught.

According to him, the other category of drivers in the state are the “transitory drivers,” that never went to a driving school but transited from bike riding, to riding tricycle and subsequently commercial vehicles.

He said, “There is no absence of requisite regulations on our roads but drivers with bad attitudes. In my two years as a commissioner, I discovered that the fundamental problem in the transportation sector of this state is purely attitudinal. So, I am not happy that I am not seeing representatives of all the transport unions here.’’

He called on the FRSC officials not to give in to gratification, instead, “they should objectively and professionally whip recalcitrant road users back into line.”

On his part, Corps Commander, Innocent Etuk, said the idea of the workshop was to train and retrain FRSC officials to improve on their mode of operations to deliver positive outcomes and reduce crashes.

He stated, “This training aims to make the officials of the corps to be up to date in line with global best practices and improve their productivity in traffic management.’’

He added that the corps introduced a reward system for personnel that improved themselves in operational capacities in traffic and safety management on the roads.

Similarly, the Commissioner of Police in Cross River, Rashid Afegbua, commended the FRSC for organising the workshop towards curbing road crashes.

Represented by CSP Uduak Boniface, the State Traffic Officer, Mr Afegbua, however, appealed for proper driving test and due process before issuance of driving license.

Also, Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Charles Brown, lauded the FRSC for its robust synergy with the NSCDC and other agencies in the state.

He commended the FRSC for the automation of the drivers licensing process.

The commandant added that the FRSC had been a strong national institution that had helped in maintaining sanity on Nigerian roads.

During the technical session of the workshop, participants were lectured on effective report renditions as a measure for operational efficiency and road safety work ethics and productivity.

Other agencies at the workshop included, Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), the Cross River Transport Management and Regulatory Agency (TRAMRA), and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN). 

(NAN)