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The Rejuvenated Federal Road Safety Commission Under Osita Chidoka By Emeka Oraetoka
It has become apparent that the criticism that heralded the appointment of Osita Chidoka as the Corps Marshal General of the establishment was orchestrated in the first place, at least from facts on ground so far on the rejuvenation of the outfit. Although one is not trying to establish that the organization has not been up and doing in terms of quality service to the nation before the appointment of Osita Chidoka. The fact of the matter is that since the inception of the outfit, it has remained a model of what paramilitary outfit should be. Even the attendant inefficiency and corruption that has become the lot of other peer institutions in Nigeria, is at best, almost non existent in Road safety organization before Osita's appointment around May 2007.
Many have
attributed the near purity of Road Safety, to its very origin. It could
be recalled that this institution was established and nurtured by
Professor Wole Soyinka. It is believed that the intellectual platform,
in which Road Safety restes, is largely responsible for its operational
efficiency and other positive factors trailing the establishment.
Just as the
integrity of Road Safety in Nigeria is not in doubt, it does not mean
that the organization was not bug-ridden by "inertia syndrome", though,
better than inefficiency and corruption. Inertia syndrome could be said
to have manifested in an establishment if it fails to not take
pro-active action[s] to forestall a fledging problem from getting out of
hand, in its area(s) of jurisdiction. It could also rear its urgly head
by way of non-intervention to bring an ad-hoc solution to a problem
before general remedial action is carried out by Government. For
instance, solution to Traffic Hold-ups problem in Kubwa Nyanya roads
before Government offers permanent remedy action in the long run.
Clearly then, Road Safety was probably infested by Inertia Syndrome
before the appointment of Osita Chidoka, some three months ago.
The report obtained from "silent assessors", an independent group of
observers, which uses scientific approach to examine the impact of
lateness to work on the general productivity of a nation, using data
obtained from the numbers of civil servants living in the axis covering:
Suleja, Madalla, Zuba and Kubwa/ Mararaba/Nyanya areas and working in
the Federal Capital City [FCT], as test case; showed the correlation
between lateness to work and general productivity. In their findings on
the general impact of Traffic Hold Ups in both Kubwa and Mararaba-
Nyanya routes, on productivity; it was observed that traffic hold ups in
these areas between [7.30 am to about 11.30 am] in the morning, result
in huge loss to government in terms of reduced productivity of
government workers trapped on these roads on their way to work. Same
situation holds true for private sector workers. The most striking
aspect of their findings is the fact that there has been reduction in
traffic hold-up induced truancy on the part of Government workers in the
last four month or so. They attributed this phenomenon to mainly the
intervention effort of Road Safety Corps on these roads between the
hours mentioned.
Some have
attributed the upsurge in the efforts of Roads Safety at combating
traffic hold-ups in these roads to the tenacious effort of Osita Chidoka
led management at leaving a good leadership mark. Many believed that the
criticism that trailed the appointment of Osita Chidoka probably
informed his determination to prove his detractors wrong by rejuvenating
and refocusing the outfit as observed in recent times. A careful study
of events at Road Safety after the appointment of Osita Chidioka, some
three months ago, shows that between or before 6:30am in the morning,
Road Safety personnel are already on these roads prone to hold-ups to
direct affairs.
There is no
doubt that Road Safety personnel have greatly improved the vexed traffic
situation, especially, along Kubwa road in the morning hours, in the
last three (3) months. What is particularly marvelous about the
personnel of Road Safety is that come rain come sun, they are always on
the road, doing justice to traffic hold-up, a fact easily attested to,
by commuters plying the road. One cannot but pity the sight of these
Road Safety operatives during the raining hours in the morning along
Kubwa road. This singular action of defying the rain in the morning, to
control traffic, shows very strongly, that Osita Chidoka is probably
determined to effect a strong impression in Road Safety and by
extension, improving productivity of civil servants through the
reduction of vexed Traffic hold-ups truancy on the part of civil
servants. It is therefore, my view that Osita Chidoka is poised to take
Road Safety to the next level, using this effective traffic control
method adopted in Kubwa and Mararaba- Nyanya axis as spring-board.
It has been
observed that Road Safety could do more for those plying these roads by
extending their effective traffic control activities to the evening
times. Just as traffic hold-up is a notorious issue in the morning times
in these roads, the same problem holds true in the evening times. The
situation is so terrible that sometimes those living in Kubwa/Zuba,
Madalla and Suleja axis arrive home late in the night because of traffic
hold-up. It is the belief of many that if Road Safety introduces this
wonderful and effective traffic control policy along these roads Kubwa/Mararaba,
Nyanya axis from say [5:3o to 9 pm], the establishment would have gone a
long way in alleviating the problems associated with evening hold-up
arising from these routes.
So far, Osita
Chidoka, has succeeded in rejuvenating Road Safety in the last three or
four month of his tenure, it is expected that, as he pilots the
establishment ahead, more progressive and people oriented traffic
control policies would spring forth from his Road Safety.
Emeka
Oraetoka
Information
management Consultant.
Wrote in from
Kubwa-Abuja
e- mail:
oramekllis@lycos.com
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