Ebonyi: RTEAN sets to launch motorists' emergency safety kit

..Appeals for state government support From Nwogha Ndubuisi, Abakaliki

The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, (RTEAN), Ebonyi State chairman, Prince James Igwe (Samanja) has announced the plan of stepping down the 'Pre & Post Crash Initiative' federal government policy in the state. However, Prince Igwe appealed to Ebonyi government led by Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru support to integrate the state inorder to benefit in the federal Ministry of Transport medical emergency kits. The State RTEAN chairman, Prince Igwe, made the call during a press conference in his office in Abakaliki and urged motorists in Ebonyi to secure the medical emergency kits to help in reducing road accidents in the state. Igwe, also the Chief Executive Officer of UDISAM Mass Transit observed that the medical emergency kits, designed by the Federal Ministry of Transport in collaboration with the United Nations, would help to reduce the rate of accidents in West African countries, stressing that Nigeria could not be excluded. According to him, the benefits of the programme introduced by the Federal government which included national road traffic regulations in 2012 have something useful attached to it. He noted that Nigeria's highway code part one Section 'E' on the vehicle checklist and also the United Nations action on road safety from 2021 till 2030 is also one of the benefits behind the federal government programmes initiative. He further called on the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, police and Ministry of Transport in the State to adopt this Federal government programme designed to safeguard the lives of the road users on the highway. "Ebonyians have a lot to benefit from this program if you, as a citizen of Ebonyi state acquire these kits if you have an accident, you will know that the federal government is there for you and it stands from five passengers down. "It stands the rate of ten thousand (N10,000 naira for each vehicle by buying these kits, you entitled among people to be a benefit on the accident assurance benefit. "If you die on the road while you have already enrolled yourself on the programme, you will get the benefits of one million and therefore Ebonyians should involve in this. "Another benefit of this programme is that each driver should be taught what he/she needs to know about travelling on Nigeria highway. It will also attract training of fifth to hundred persons to become members of the Nigeria Red Cross Society their names will be enlisted to the United Nations list and certificates will as well issued to them "Involving yourself in this programme, you are indirectly telling yourself to drive your Keke or your vehicle without any interference, and therefore, the Federal government is prepared to secure the lives of the road users. "The kits contain numerous first aid equipment, these kits will attract a lot of things within and aside from Ebonyi State and if a large number of these kits are being distributed across Ebonyi, automatically; the United Nations will come into Ebonyi State by releasing a vehicle called a medical emergency truck. And that is why hospitals will assist drivers on the road if anything happens; they will quickly attend to them before getting to a bigger hospital. "It also increases in attracting foreign donors that is when the United Nations will know that Ebonyi have the interest of their people at heart "The programme does not exclude private vehicles and that's why we are creating awareness for us to benefit from the federal ministry of transportation. "Keke riders, and as long as you have a means of transporting yourself from one place to another, you are to subscribe to this programme, because the Federal government will soon commence enforcement on road transport users within Ebonyi state, knowing fully well that this kits will also attract IGR to state government if the State House Assembly adopt it. "We are calling Ebonyi State House of Assembly, police and ministry of transport to adopt this programme for the betterment of lives of Ebonyians on the highway. "Road Transport Employers of Nigeria are the only union approved to dispatch these kits for now and even the road safety does not have the power to sell these kits but they can apprehend you for not having it," Igwe asserted.