The Federal Road Emergency Management Agency (FERMA) has warned motorists to avoid overloading, speeding, and poor vehicle maintenance during the holiday season.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the Director-General of FERMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, blamed the high rate of accidents during the ember months on reckless driving and poor vehicle maintenance.
Idriss also urged motorists, particularly commercial drivers, to follow all traffic laws during the holiday season.
He revealed that the agency had been meeting with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to discuss the importance of fostering a safe driving culture.
The director-general also stated that the Federal Government was working hard to repair roads across the country, adding that it was safer to drive slowly and arrive at one’s destination alive.
He stated that FERMA, as a disaster coordinating agency, had all types of professionals on staff, and that it had also worked with other emergency agencies to mitigate disasters in the country.
“We have an emergency response plan, a roadmap that includes every secretariat, department, and agency, as well as ministries, departments, and agencies.”
“We interact with all of the system’s structures.” “We have paramedics attached to our ambulances, and they are equipped with oxygen,” he explained.
The FERMA boss lamented that most buildings in the FCT lacked emergency exits, particularly in high-rise buildings.
He stated that an inspection conducted by the agency uncovered numerous infractions, but that it was not too late to correct them.