Oyo Stakeholders Launch Ember Months Campaign to Curb Road Crashes on Lagos Ibadan Expressway
Stakeholders in the transport sector in Oyo State have called for urgent measures to reduce frequent road crashes and achieve zero fatality on the busy Lagos Ibadan Expressway ahead of the end of year festivities.
The call was made as the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority, OYRTMA, and organised transport unions intensify collaboration under a comprehensive Ember Months road safety campaign aimed at curbing road crashes during and after the yuletide.
The stakeholders said there is need to adopt key safety strategies to protect lives on the highway.
Speaking on the initiatives, the FRSC Sector Commander in Oyo State, Dahunsi Kehinde Sunday, said efforts are being directed at reducing carnage on the road to the barest minimum.
He said several measures have been put in place to achieve the target, adding that advocacy has been taken to churches, mosques, motor parks and members of organised transport unions across the state.
According to him, the target is to ensure reduction of road carnage this year when compared to last year.
Dahunsi disclosed that enough personnel and logistics have been deployed for effective operations during the ember months.
He listed areas of focus to include checking road worthiness of vehicles, overloading and mixed loading, risky driving habits, involving community and faith based networks and strategic traffic diversion.
Also speaking, the Chairman of OYRTMA, Major Adesagba Adekoya rtd, said the agency has designed a comprehensive decentralised road safety campaign across the state, targeting zero road fatalities during the 2026 festive season.
Adekoya identified speeding, driving against traffic, drunk driving, overloading and use of mobile phones while driving as major causes of road crashes during the Ember Months.
He stressed the need for increased public awareness and strict compliance with traffic regulations.
He said the agency will collaborate with religious leaders to promote road safety, with safety messages incorporated into sermons during Friday Jumat services and Sunday church services.
He added that OYRTMA will work with the Park Management System, PMS, Nigeria Police Force, Vehicle Inspection Officers, VIO, and other law enforcement agencies to ensure coordinated traffic management and enforcement.
A leader of the Park Management System, Oluwadamilare, said commercial drivers will engage with the Vehicle Inspection Services to ensure their brakes, tires and mechanical systems are fully serviced to prevent failures during heavy festive movement.
He said transport operators are working to eliminate the dangerous practice of mixing heavy commercial goods with passengers, which compromises vehicle control.
He added that motorists are being educated and strictly monitored to eradicate excessive speeding, driving against traffic, using mobile phones while driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
According to him, religious leaders across the state are being engaged to weave road safety messages into Friday and Sunday sermons, reinforcing safe driving as a moral and civic responsibility.
