The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has reiterated its call on the Council of Works to call on governments at all levels to enforce the minimum 45.72-metre distance right of way regulation on highway hedges.
Corps Public Education Officer Bisi Kazeem said this yesterday in an interview with The Tide ource yesterday in Abuja.
Kazeem said that the enforcement would go a long way in reducing road crashes by checking unauthorised interference beyond the stipulated distance on the hedges of highways.
He appreciated the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, for his receptiveness to road safety activities.
According to Kazeem, for every highway, there should be a particular distance where markets, buildings and other structures can be located.
“This is the reason we want the compulsory minimum 45.72-metre distance right of way regulation on all highways.
“This means that later, if government wants to expand the road, it should be able to expand it and accidents can be reduced to the barest minimum,” he said.
“But what we see now is that people would have encroached on the right of way and this will prevent future expansion of roads.
“We call on government to enforce this as this is for the benefit of all. This will go a long way to prevent crashes and traffic issues in our country,” he said.
Kazeem said that the corps operations would continue to reflect the aspiration of the federal government, which was to speed up Nigeria’s economic growth through macro-economic stability and diversification.
He also said this would also be achieved by building a globally competitive economy through investment in infrastructure.
The Corps Marshal, FRSC, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, had on Jan. 22, said that the corps had developed fresh plans to curb road accidents on the nation’s highways in 2021.