The Federal Road Safety, in collaboration with the National Automobile Technicians Association, has flagged off the distribution of facemasks to drivers and passengers in motor parks across Gombe State, to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus.
The Head of Operations of the Road Safety in Gombe, Deputy Corps Commander Murtala Shehu, told Voice of Nigeria in Gombe after the flag-off ceremony that major motor parks were being targeted because they had the highest concentration of passengers.
Alhaji Shehu said the agency was collaborating with the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the National Automobile Technicians Associations because they were directly involved in the safe conveyance of passengers, by ensuring that vehicles were fit for traveling from one place to the other.
He said the spread of the Coronavirus was easily done through drivers, who come into contact with an infected person and as such the strategy being adopted would ensure that the drivers did not transmit the virus from in the process.
The FRSC Head of Operations in Gombe State said the campaign would go round all major motor parks in the state, beginning with the Bauchi Park, Gombe Line and now Dukku Motor Park, so that the message would reach every driver and passengers in the state.
He called on drivers across the state to ensure that every passenger entering their vehicle comply with the safety protocol of wearing facemasks, to prevent the spread of the disease,
On his part, the Chairman of the Gombe State Chapter of the National Automobile Technicians Association, Alhaji Ahmed Waziri Usman, said it was equally the responsibility of their members to ensure safety on the roads, through vehicle repairs and maintenance.
Alhaji Ahmed said the campaign at the Dukku Park was to join the FRSC in creating awareness on the dangers associated with the Coronavirus and at the same time contribute to reducing its spread through the distribution of the facemasks.
He called on members of the association not to abdicate their responsibilities of repairing and maintaining vehicles to less experienced hands, saying after repairs, the senior mechanics should certify the vehicle fit before handing it over to the driver.
“This is the advice we get from the Road Safety always and we are happy with it. We promise to abide by it to ensure that vehicles are safe to protect the lives and property of passengers,” Alhaji Ahmed said.
He urged drivers to continue to be law-abiding, by obeying laid down rules and regulations governing road use, while thanking the FRSC for the good working relations between them, which has led to the reduction of road crashes in the state.
The representative of Road Safety Officers’ Wives Association, Hajia Maryam Murtala Shehu, who went to the campaign with the FRSC, encouraged passengers and drivers alike to adhere strictly to the safety measures of wearing facemasks and the use of hand sanitizers to prevent the spread and transmission of the Coronavirus.
Hajia Maryam said Covid-19 was real, but that when deliberate efforts were made to prevent its spread, one day it would become history.
She said Covid-19 should be prevented at all cost, irrespective of the inconveniences attached to them.
Nnenna.O
