REMARKS BY HONOURABLE JUSTICE M.B. DONGBAN-MENSEM, PCA, JP+, FCIArb, FNIALS, FOUNDER, KRSD FOUNDATION, ON THE 11TH EDITION OF THE KRSD ANNUAL ROAD SAFETY PRESS CONFERENCE HELD ON 23RD SEPTEMBER, 2022.

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I thank God Almighty for the privilege of this day. I welcome you all to the 11th Edition of the Kwapda’as Samson Rangna’an Dongban (KRSD) Foundation, Annual Road Safety Conference. I especially appreciate those who have been with KRSD from the beginning for your unflinching support throughout the years. Truly, you are friends of the Foundation. My profound gratitude is hereby expressed especially to all our guests at the 10th Anniversary.

To all the press and Media Houses here present, you are most welcome! 

KRSD is going through a sober moment due to the demise of one of its key members of the Board: My son, Prince Paeke Shepnaan Dongban, “De Boss” as I fondly call him, contributed immensely to the success of this Foundation. Words cannot express how great he is missed especially at a time like this when he usually spearheads the planning of this annual event. We thank all standing close by us in our moments of grief. May God Almighty bless and reward you all.  May the souls of Kwapda’as and Paeke rest in perfect peace.

KRSD was accredited by the United Nations to participate in the High-Level Meeting on Global Road Safety at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, held from 30th of June – 1st July, 2022. We were there.  The 2022 Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety follows the global plan of the First Decade of Action (2011-2020) which was aimed at stabilizing and then reducing the forecast level of road traffic fatalities around the world.

The Founder, KRSD Foundation

The launch of the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 on which the newly adopted Political Declaration is based, sets the ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.

The objective of this year’s Conference is to create awareness of the content of the 2022 Political Declaration on improving Road Safety among the general public in Nigeria. KRSD is calling the attention of all Road Safety stakeholders to the document and the need to form a synergy to implement the contents of the document with a view to tackling this menace that has claimed many innocent lives on the roads, especially in Africa.

A study shows that in Africa, the socio-economic impacts of road crashes and related injuries are not only harming the Continent’s development but also affecting the livelihood of countless African families, especially in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous black nation. It is estimated that in Nigeria, more than 6,000 people die from road traffic crashes and many sustain serious injuries. According to the statistics provided by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), every four hours, no fewer than two people die on Nigerian roads.

I commend the United Nations, for inviting several NGOs and youth organisations to the High-Level UN meeting and also giving these bodies the opportunity to speak. The Comprehensive Political Plan Document for Improving Global Road Safety adopted during the meeting is ambitious and commendable.

Permit me to list the following observations of KRSD on points to ponder and act upon:

1.    Victims support is one of the four intervention drives of this Foundation, there is an urgent need for a non-medical trauma management center for victims and relatives of the victims. We aspire to set up a victim’s Trauma Centre to counsel the victims to restore their emotional equilibrium in addition to medical care. We advocate that the victims of road crashes who are in NGOs should be engaged in the management of support measures in road crashes issues;

2.    Although capacity building is not expected to solve all road crash problems, it forms an important component of reducing road injuries and fatalities in any country. Therefore, the starting point for any road safety programme or intervention is to understand what the problem is and which discipline can effectively contribute towards achieving improvement. There is a need for an urgent review of the National Road Safety Policy in Nigeria. More emphasis should be placed on capacity building and public enlightenment. One of the major contributory factors to the high rate of crashes on our roads is the attitude of drivers to road safety generally and which again touches very significantly on the issue of driver attitude, poor education, and a dearth of information.

3.    In Africa, there is a need for infrastructural improvement to accommodate most road safety technological innovations. Many African cities are marred with bad roads, a lack of adequate road signages, and most importantly, a paucity of road safety data to support evidence-based interventions.

4.    Road safety is a demanding business not only for government agencies but requires extensive private corporate participation. The role of road safety NGOs in tackling the menace of road crashes cannot be overemphasized. Sustained investment/support from the authorities, private organizations, and international financing for the activities of indigenous Non-Governmental Organisations should be purposefully pursued.

5.    More direct investments for road safety development in low and middle-income countries should be the top priority in the Global Plan Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.

6. The contributions of NGOs, Private and Corporate Organsations towards achieving the goal of reducing road safety deaths and serious injuries are very important. I sincerely appreciate the management of Total Energies Upstream Nigeria Limited for their generous donation to the Foundation to support the treatment of a crash victim. Please visit our website to read the full story at www.krsdtrust.com. We are therefore calling for more partnerships with corporate organizations, to channel their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) towards road safety advocacy, sensitization, and campaign.

7. The African Continent must look inwards and draw its peculiar plan for road safety. We are far behind and our needs are not necessarily the same as the rest of the world. Africa must develop its own standard and drive it within its unique status.

In conclusion, the Foundation will be launching its first brochure-documenting the journey of KRSD from 2011 to this moment during the virtual conference that will take place immediately after this Press Conference. KRSD cannot do it all alone, your support is greatly needed, please donate, share, volunteer, and join us to make our roads safer.

Make a keep Road Safe Demand of yourselves, your friends, and colleagues.

Join the KRSD team to dignify your life by saving a life.

Thank you all. I wish us all very safe and healthy road usage at all times.