TheCable

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it has the right to operate both on the highways and within the cities, in emergency situations.

Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos, had asked the FRSC to limit its activities to only the suburbs of cities and the highways.

He said the decision was to ensure free flow of traffic in the state, noting that the activities of the FRSC contributed to traffic congestion on inner city roads.

But in an interview with NAN on Tuesday, Shehu Zaki, an assistant corps marshal and zonal commanding officer of the corps in Lagos and Ogun states, said FRSC personnel would not leave the roads totally because they had the right to work in the metropolis, in particular circumstances.

“The governor cannot force us out of the roads, but he can advise us as he has already done,” Zaki said.

“That policy of the Lagos state government is even going to help us more and allow us to effectively deliver on our mandate on the highways, even more than before.

“Safety is something that has always been at the heart of FRSC operations and we are doing effectively both within the cities and on the highways.”

Zaki said the call of the governor had negative implications.

“The implication is that even some members of the public who do not know how we operate have started telling some of our officers to leave the roads, in line with the governor’s call,” he said.

“There are certainly some negative implications to this statement, coming from a state governor and we are mindful of that.

“It did not come as a surprise because it was our own concept; we felt that such a policy will help us to serve the people better.”