Gov Diri Task FG on Establishment of Safety Outfit for Waterways
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By Our Correspondent
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri,has appealed to the Federal Government to establish an outfit to secure waterways in riverine areas to reduce criminality and accidents.
Governor Diri made the call when the Bayelsa State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp, Commander Usman Ibrahim paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday in Government House, Yenagoa.
Governor Diri stated that due to the riverine terrain of the state, there is need to establish an outfit like the FRSC and give equal treatment to the waterways.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, Governor Diri expressed delight that road accidents have drastically reduced in the state, and urged the command to do more and reduce accident to the barest minimum.
The Governor, who lamented the dearth of Federal highways in the state, tasked men of the command to provide more signages at strategic positions and also educate road users on their meaning.
He stated ” because of the dearth of highways and the special terrain of Bayelsa State, the waterways also ought to have equal treatment with the roads highways. I am sure that will bring to rest the issue of kidnapping and other criminal activities.” “May I use this opportunity to call on the Federal Government that we need an equal treatment in our waterways.
” We are happy that crashes and other forms of accidents are not very common in Bayelsa State. But that may be due to what I will describe as non existent Federal highways like we have in other states.”
He thanked the FRSC for expressing its readiness to extend their operations to the road leading to the Bayelsa State International Airport and said the state would synergize with the command to ensure accident free roads.
Responding to the demands made by the sector commander, Diri said they would be looked into with a view to implementing them.
Earlier, Commander Ibrahim revealed that no fatal road accident had been recorded in the state since May 2021, and attributed it to the good road existing in the state.
According to him, with the commencement of flight operations at the Bayelsa airport, they would extend their operations to the road and ensure the safety of road users.
He noted that a road safety advisory council had been established at the national level , and appealed to the state government to replicate it.
He also requested that the state should provide land to enable the command build a permanent structure in the state.
