The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it has introduced several measures to address the menace of petrol tanker crashes on Nigeria highways.

The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) Olusegun Ogungbemide, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ogungbemide said that the FRSC had been working tirelessly to reduce road traffic crashes (RTCs) to the barest minimum, in spite of the challenges posed by the large number of vehicles on the road.

He emphasised that the corps was committed to mitigating the risks associated with petrol tanker crashes, which were often devastating.

The ACM highlighted the introduction of the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS) in 2007, which regulated the transport system involving haulage vehicles.

He said that the scheme ensured that drivers underwent a series of training, and only sound individuals were allowed to drive.

According to him, the measure has significantly improved the safety of haulage vehicles on Nigeria roads.

“Furthermore, the FRSC has also introduced safety valves to prevent spillage in the event of a crash. This measure is crucial in preventing fires and explosions that often result from petrol tanker crashes,” he said.

Ogungbemide said that the FRSC was also working to ensure that all petrol tankers were equipped with the safety valves, to minimise the risks associated with their operation.

He said that the FRSC had also introduced the concept of “Safe to Load”, which ensured that vehicles and drivers met minimum safety standards before they were allowed to load.

“This measure has been implemented in 116 active depots across the country, and has significantly reduced the number of petrol tanker crashes on Nigerian highways,” the CPEO said.

He attributed the success of major marketers in reducing crashes involving their trucks to their high safety standards, regular training, and use of new vehicles.

Ogungbemide said that FRSC was working to replicate this success across the industry, by ensuring that all haulage vehicles met minimum safety standards.

He said that the corps was committed to working with all stakeholders, including major marketers, depot owners, and drivers, to ensure that Nigeria highways were safe for all users.

Ogungbemide said that FRSC was also working to address the root of petrol tanker crashes, which included driver fatigue, vehicle maintenance and road conditions.

“The FRSC’s efforts are part of a broader strategy to mitigate the risks associated with petrol tanker crashes, which are often devastating.

“By addressing the root causes of these crashes, the FRSC aims to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on Nigerian highways.

“In addition, the FRSC is also working to improve the safety of haulage vehicles, by ensuring that they are properly maintained and equipped with safety features,” he said.

Ogungbemide said that the corps was also working to improve the training of drivers, to ensure that they were equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to operate haulage vehicles safely.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) intercepted 13 girls suspected to be victims of human trafficking en route to Baghdad, Iraq for sexual and labour exploitation.

This is contained in a statement by the spokesman of the agency, Vincent Adekoye in Abuja.

The agency said that the girls whose ages ranged between 19 and 39 years, were intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja.

NAPTIP said that the girls were allegedly deceived and recruited by some faceless unregistered labour recruiters who are suspected to be agents of a larger criminal labour recruiting gang operating between Nigeria and some Middle East countries.

”The interception of the Iraq-bound girls followed a tip-off by some concerned partners who noticed the unusual movement of some unknown faces at the departure lounge of the NAIA,” he said.

He said the Director-General of NAPTIP, Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello, who witnessed the interception, expressed displeasure over the incident.

She said the level of deceit by traffickers was becoming worrisome, while calling parents and guardian to always be careful of fake promises for their children and wards.

“I wish to point out that our action is in line with the provision of the Trafficking in Persons (Control of Activities of Organisations and Centres) Regulations 2019, which empowers NAPTIP to issue clearance certificates to all travel agents or tour operators.

“NAPTIP regulation 2019 empowers the agency to issue clearance certificate to tour operator traveling for the purpose of educational excursions, recruitment for Labour, sporting activities, cultural, music excursions or competitions.

“It empowers us to issue clearance certificate to all organisations, shelters, and homes offering services for the purpose of rehabilitation of trafficked persons,” she said.

According to her, the case at hand is pathetic because these girls are deceived and recruited for a supposed job in Baghdad by unlicensed labour recruiters who are not known to any constituted authority in Nigeria.

“This implies that should anything happen to these girls; we will not be able to hold anyone responsible because they are undocumented labourers. They were issued 60 days visa and yet signed a labour agreement of 2 years.

“The implication of this is that as soon as the visa expires, they are at the mercy of the master and lose all legal rights to demand anything including their legitimate salary,” she said.

”Investigation revealed that they will be paid 250 dollars as monthly salary by their tax master out of which they will remit four months’ salary to the agent here in Nigeria and another huge sum to the agent in Iraq,” she said .

She said that from the testimonies of scores of victims who passed through the same condition, they were never paid regularly as expected, maybe four or five months only for the agreed contract period of 2 years.

Adamu-Bello said the major issue was with their master when they asked for their salary to be paid.

She added that it was painful that many were in those volatile and war-torn destination countries.

Adamu-Bello said those who were there already, were seeking help to be rescued, and saying that they were happily embarking on a journey to the unknown.

She said that some of the victims who had been rescued in the past came home with life-threatening medical conditions while others escaped with a life-threatening wound with scars.

She said the agency could not close its eyes and allow these ones to join the statistics of stranded victims who were now calling social media for help.

Adamu-Bello said that NAPTIP was on the lookout for the unscrupulous unregistered recruiters who were behind all these scenarios

She appreciated the management of Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport with particular reference to the airport management and his Security personnel, Officials of the various Airlines and sister law enforcement agencies.

Adamu-Bello also sue for more cooperation to rescue these girls from the deceit of the mindless traffickers.

In another development, the agency said, its operatives also sealed-up a popular three-star Hotel located at the ever-busy Community of Kwali, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The agency said that 11 under aged girls were suspected of being used for sexual expedition in the hotel.

The owner of the hotel, the agency said, has been arrested, while other supporting staff escaped.

The Tinubu Media Volunteers (TMV) on Wednesday acknowledged Nigeria’s leading role in driving Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Innovation to position the country as an ICT hub in Africa.

The group, in a statement by its Mr Chukwudi Enekwechi, its Chairman, said it was heart-warming that President Bola Tinubu espoused the vision at a recent meeting with Mr Sundar Pichal, Google Chief Executive Officer.

It said: “For us the strong interest of Google in the potential of Nigeria in the AI, Innovation and ICT generally demonstrates the pivotal role the country is already playing in the sector under President Bola Tinubu.

“It is, therefore, gratifying that the President is exploring partnership opportunities with Google which will focus on five key areas.

“These are: enhancing scalable cloud infrastructure, equipping the workforce with necessary skills, promoting AI innovation and research, driving cloud adoption and elevating Nigeria’s standing in the global tech landscape as a hub for innovation and AI.”

The group said the federal government’s partnership with Google fully aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration, and would serve the interest of Nigerian youths in the ICT sector.

“The ultimate objective of the partnership will not only empower businesses and create new opportunities, but will also establish Nigeria as a major player in the global digital economy.

“This is coming against the backdrop of a recent announcement by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of a N2.8 billion support from Google to accelerate Al Talent development across Nigeria,” continued TMV.

The group added that the partnership reflected the economic diversification policy of the Tinubu administration and would also enhance productivity in several sectors, including agriculture, education, and healthcare.