FRSC, NDA partner to train cadets on driving skills

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi and the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna, Major General Mohammed Ibrahim have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for another four years to enable the personnel of the FRSC continue with the training of the Cadets of the Academy on driving skills.

Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC says that at the signing ceremony which took place at Academy Headquarters Kaduna and witnessed by some principal officers of both the Academy and the FRSC, the Commandant, commended the staff of the FRSC for exhibiting high sense of discipline, comportment and focus in carrying out road safety campaign in the country. According to him, he decided to renew the existing understanding with the FRSC on the training of the Cadets in driving skills because of his conviction that the programme was both relevant and beneficial to the Cadets and the Academy.

“When I assumed office here as the Commandant, I noticed that the training programme was already in existence and there was an understanding between the FRSC and the Academy. Considering its numerous benefits to the Cadets, I had no hesitation in endorsing the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding in order to sustain it,” he stated.

The Commandant further disclosed that he gave the approval for continuity without even formally meeting with the Corps Marshal, as a demonstration of his confidence in the initiative, saying it has impacted positively on the driving techniques of the Cadets and will enhanced their overall performance while on foreign operations. While commending his predecessor and the former Corps Marshal for the initiative, he stressed that with the opportunity being given to the Cadets, they would not only be able to drive their personal vehicles safely after graduation, but their foreign assignments which involve driving would be facilitated.

“Before now, there were cases of Officers who attempted driving vehicles after graduating from the Academy without proper training, with many losing their lives in the process. But with the driving skills being introduced now, such cases would be eliminated,” he further stated.

Major General Ibrahim enumerated other benefits of the programme to include exposure to various driving techniques, knowledge of the Highway Code and acquisition of valid driver’s licence, which he said assist Officers on United Nations assignments outside the shores of the land. “When Officers go on foreign assignments, they are expected to know how to drive and they must possess their driver’s licence as evidence of their competence. But because this type of training programme was not there before, many of them experienced some difficulties,” he stated.

“So, I want to assure you that the Academy is in full support of the initiative and would do everything possible to sustain it,” he added.

In his remarks, the Corps Marshal congratulated the Commandant on his appointment and expressed gratitude to the Academy for giving the FRSC the opportunity to train the Cadets in driving skills. He stressed that the training is a demonstration of the corporate social responsibility role of the FRSC to ensure sustained collaboration with the military in matters of road safety, saying that the Corps has had a long standing relations with members of the Armed Forces.

The Corps Marshal appealed to the Academy to sustain the programme, noting the support that has been extended to the personnel of the Corps handling the training. He further disclosed that the Corps is exploring other areas of mutual benefits to the Academy and FRSC by which entire members of the Academy would be given awareness on issues of road safety for the overall success of the Corps’ safer roads, fuller lives campaigns.

It would be recalled that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna was first signed four years ago to ensure proper training of the Cadets in driving skills in the efforts to make them function as competent drivers with genuine driver’s licence upon their graduation.

As part of the activities to mark the visit, the Corps Marshal addressed the FRSC personnel selected to handle the driver training programme where he urged them to sustain the positive image already created by the Corps within the Academy environment.