Auto
New Dawn In Oyeyemi’s FRSC
By Brown Justice
As the first officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to lead the organization as Corps Marshal and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Olayemi Boboye Oyeyemi has made everyone proud in the country.
Appointed in 2014, Dr Oyeyemi has been able to change both the look and the negative perception held about FRSC by Nigerians. The Corps now has acceptable image and status as well as appreciative position in the hearts and minds of Nigerians.
Dr Oyeyemi is a man who not only made integrity his watchwords at the Corps, but has also demonstrated it in no small measures. He institutionalized integrity at FRSC by making sure those officers and men of the Corps abide by the practice.
Being a visionary leader himself, Dr Oyeyemi introduced far reaching measures and policies that made FRSC what it is today. Take for example, the recent inauguration of the National Road Safety Advisory Council as part of the activities to mark the 29th anniversary of the Corps since its establishment in February 1988.
Honestly speaking, since its establishment 29 years ago, they had never been anyone who got the FRSC closer to its core mandate of making Nigeria’s highways safe for motorists and other road users as well as educating motorists and members of the public on the importance of discipline on the highways like Dr Oyeyemi.
At the risk of sounding too sycophantic, let it be on records that the introduction and enforcements of the speed limiting device by Dr Oyeyemi has drastically reduced the rates of road accidents and carnages on our highways.
Before the introduction of speed limiter to vehicle users especially to commercial vehicles by FRSC, speed limits violations by motorists alone accounted for 50.8 percent of the total road crashes recorded in the country between 2013 and 2015.
Nigerians can now see why the usual crashes and deaths normally associated with the yuletide season were drastically reduced last year.
As a regulating agency of the Federal Government, the FRSC under the headship of Dr. Oyeyemi has ingeniously device means of detecting vehicles without speed limiting device installations in them; because not using it is an offence violating section 152 sub-section 4 of the National Road Traffic Regulations Act of 2012. The section reads: ”A person cannot drive a vehicle that is not fitted with speed limiter on any public road.
Therefore, as a regulating and enforcing agency of the state, the FRSC Act of 2007 empowers it to make the use of speed limiting device mandatory on all vehicles plying Nigerian roads, no matter the status of motorists or persons in the society.
The successful execution of the ongoing tyre campaigns by FRSC under Dr Oyeyemi is very remarkable. According to the helmsman, ”Motorists now know that tyres expire. My focus is to raise the awareness and save more lives!”
Other far reaching successes achieved by the Oyeyemi-led FRSC includes but not limited to the ongoing campaigns against overloading by motorists as well as excellence in road traffic management. These two successes alone have worked the wonders of saving even the vehicle owners the burden of frequently taking their vehicles to mechanics as well as giving comforts to passengers.
Others successes are; the introduction of physical fitness exercise for personnel and the introduction of monthly 6-kilometer walking and jogging exercise for officers and men of the corps. The idea behind this is to ensure that personnel are both mentally and physically fit to carry out their functions. This is because exercise itself is a way of refreshing the mind and body of personnel for the various challenges some stubborn motorists may pose to them.
Nevertheless, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi was born on November 26, 1960. He subsequently started his formal education which has taken him to the nation’s citadel of learning.
Today, Dr Oyeyemi is a PhD holder from the University of Nigeria Nsukka. He is also a graduate of the Harvard University School of Government as well as the Royal Institutes for Public Administration in London.
In appreciation of his selfless services to Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 conferred on him the National Productivity Order of Merit Award. He is also a holder of another national honour known as Member of the Order of Federal Republic MFR.
Similarly, his service to the nation has won him many national and international honours and awards. Some of them includes; Corps Marshal and Chief Executive Award, American Medal of Honour Award by the American Biographical Institute, USA.
Others are; Best Performing Head of Department Award from 2009-2013, Certified Distinguished Administrator Award by Institute of Corporate Administration.
Finally, Dr Oyeyemi should be commended by all Nigerians for leading the FRSC to become the first enforcement agency to be ISO 9001:2008 Certified in Africa.
Mr Brown Justice wrote from Benue State.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A bill aimed at prohibiting hawking, trading or preaching inside commercial vehicles in Nigeria has been passed by the Senate.
The bill known as the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026, imposes fines between N50,000 and N100,000 for violations if assented to by the President.
The piece of legislation was passed by the red chamber of the National Assembly on Thursday and should later be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Members of the upper chamber of the parliament explained that the law was amended to discourage distractions in commercial vehicles and improve the safety of commuters.
In addition, motorists who fail to cooperate with officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) during roadside breath tests conducted on reasonable suspicion are liable to fines or imprisonment or both.
Lawmakers noted that this was to improve compliance with road safety regulations and reduce road crashes, as fines for driving under the influence of alcohol or intoxicating drugs were raised to N100,000 from N5,000, with the risk of spending two years behind bars.
It was also proposed that disobedience to traffic lights, road signs, pavement markings and other traffic control devices will now attract N100,000, while the fine for speed limit violations is now N100,000, with reckless driving now a fine of N100,000 or two years’ imprisonment.
By Dipo Olowookere
Residents and motorists plying the Aina Obembe Road in Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos, may soon heave a sigh of relief as the excruciating traffic gridlock being experienced in the area both day and night may soon be a thing of the past.
This is because the chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA, Mr Lukmon Agbaje, has directed those involved in indiscriminate truck parking along the road to remove the heavy-duty vehicles within one week, threatening to invoke appropriate enforcement measures for noncompliance with this directive.
Speaking during a meeting on Wednesday with the management of SENA Company, which owns the affected trucks, as well as the leadership of Oluwadara CDA and other key stakeholders like the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), at the council’s secretariat, Mr Agbaje frowned at the prolonged inconvenience suffered by the community, stressing that public roads must remain accessible and safe for all users.
He emphasised the need for a collaborative approach in resolving the issue without undermining legitimate business operations, noting that he’s focused on finding a lasting solution to the gridlock experienced between Oluwaga and Aina Obembe, where parked trucks have continued to obstruct traffic, disrupt business activities, and pose safety concerns for residents and motorists.
He tasked the firm and the CDA to jointly identify and implement alternative parking arrangements that would remove all trucks from the affected roads and restore the free flow of traffic.
He declared that, “The welfare of our people remains our highest priority. No individual or corporate organisation should obstruct public infrastructure or create avoidable hardship for residents. We must ensure that economic activities coexist with public safety, order, and convenience.”
The council chief reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to promoting orderly development, ensuring safe and accessible roads, improving traffic management, and creating an environment where businesses can thrive alongside the well-being of residents.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has cut import levies on new and used vehicles by as much as 10 per cent in a move aimed at reducing the cost of vehicle importation, even as it commenced the implementation of a new Green Tax surcharge.
According to an update issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday, the import levy on new vehicles has been reduced from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, while the levy on used vehicles has been slashed from 15 per cent to five per cent under the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures, which took effect on July 1, 2026.
The customs said the policy is designed to ease the cost of vehicle imports while advancing the government’s environmental sustainability objectives through the newly introduced Green Tax.
The implementation also reduces the overall import duty on fully built passenger vehicles from 70 per cent to 40 per cent.
As part of the Green Tax framework, a new environmental surcharge of between two per cent and four per cent will apply to petrol-powered vehicles with engine capacities exceeding 2,000cc. However, mass transit buses, electric vehicles, and passenger cars with engines below 2,000cc are exempt from the surcharge.
Beyond the automobile sector, the fiscal measures also lower import duties on several essential goods. The duty on imported rice has been reduced from 70 per cent to 47.5 per cent, while crude palm oil now attracts a 28.75 per cent duty.
In addition, import duties on agricultural and manufacturing machinery have been completely removed to support local production, while Waste PET has been added to the export prohibition list to encourage domestic recycling.
