Come January 1, 2017, all commercial vehicles coming into the country must be fitted with speed limiter, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, has said.
Oyeyemi stated this in Kaduna on Monday when he visited the FRSC Sector Command for routine interaction with personnel to strengthen operational duties and general service delivery.
Represented by the Head of Operations, FRSC Headquarters Abuja, Ojeme Ewhrudjakpor, Oyeyemi explained said that the measure was to ensure safety on Nigerian roads.
He disclosed that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) had written to all importers of vehicles to comply with the order.
“This will reduce the pains of buying a vehicle and be forced to spend again to install the device.
“Currently, some vehicles coming into the country are already fitted with the device; all you need do is to calibrate it.
“But if motor owners insist on buying vehicle without speed limiter, then they will have to fix it or we will impound it,” Oyeyemi said.
He also said that the corps would meet with vehicle assembly plants within the country this week, to see how they could install the device as part of vehicles fitted specifications.
The FRSC boss explained that the current persuasive enforcement of the device was to give motorist time to comply, adding that, “from January 1, 2017, it is an offence not to have it on commercial vehicles.
“Some of the vendors have agreed to allow vehicle owners pay for the device over time, but from January 1, it is going to be full enforcement, as we will impound your vehicle if you don’t have it.
“There is nowhere in the world where public transport is not regulated.
“If you go the United Kingdom, or the United States, public transports do not go beyond 90 kilometres per hour,” he said.
Earlier, the Sector Commander, Francis Udoma, thanked the corps marshal for the visit, adding that the interaction would boost the morale of marshals and their commitment to duty.
On the speed limit device enforcement, Mr. Udoma said that out of 3,033 vehicles inspected from October 1 to date, only 51 were found to have installed the device.
He said the command would continue to advise and persuade commercial motorists during the ongoing ember month patrol, to comply and install the device, adding that from January 1, there would be no mercy.
Udoma said that the command would continue to work with security agencies and relevant stakeholders to restore sanity on the road.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.