To support drivers and improve their capacity, the Lagos State Drivers Institute (LASDRI), in partnership with Driving solution company, DriveMe has trained 100 drivers in Lagos.

During the five-day training, held at the LASDRI head office, Oshodi, Lagos, the drivers were taught the value and essence of customer experience, what it means to be a professional driver, road signs and traffic rules, emergency response, accident prevention mechanisms and others.

The joint training session was designed for professional drivers drawn from private and corporate institutions.

The training shed more light on topics such as introduction to professional drivers, vehicle operations and safety, customer service communications, safety and emergency response, vehicle maintenance and traffic signs and interpretations.

The CEO of DriveMe, Damilola Odunlade-Akeju, said as a company that prioritises helping organisations and individuals to source, train and link drivers to work opportunities in Nigeria, increasing the capacity of the drivers should be at the front burner.

Odunlade-Akeju said with the support of institutions such as Access Bank and the Lagos State Driver’s Institute are poised to make a significant impact on road safety in Lagos State and Nigeria, adding that it would serve as a model for future collaboration between government agencies and committed stakeholders and underscore the importance of interagency cooperation in achieving shared goals.

He said that safe driving is not static, but requires ongoing training and education, which includes incorporating real world scenarios, feedback and drivers’ performance and practical driving practices.

Adding that sharing vital information and documents among driving institutions is crucial for enhancing road safety by sharing resources, expertise and promotion of best practices among drivers.

“Driving for 20 years does not mean one is a professional driver. Drivers are offering services and they must be able to provide quality service, they must be able to respond to medical emergencies such as carrying out Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on customers in distress before the arrival of medical professionals.

“After we increase the capacity of drivers, we provide them work opportunities either in e-hailing space, corporate space and others.

“We also ensure that a driver has access to finance. Drivers should have access to loans, able to buy income-generating assets after capacity building.

“We have been around for about five years and we have trained over 6000 drivers and we have been able to pair about 1,500 of them to work opportunities across the country. We post job opportunities on WhatsApp platforms, where we have our drivers and they can see the locations and the salary expectations and other details.

“Our goal is to train 1000 drivers by the end of 2025, and this is the first batch. The impact is employment creation. There are lots of unemployed youths in Nigeria. This is also to ensure that road safety is ensured, to ensure that the drivers have a digital identity because that will help to know their history.”

Speaking also, General Manager, Lagos State Driver’s Institute, Tiamiyu Afusat said the joint training session and the partnership was a testament to the Lagos State Government on safety and determination to explore innovative solutions to the challenges facing the nation’s transport sector.

She said the capacity training will equip the participants with the necessary driving pre-requisite skills and knowledge to effectively navigate and respond to road crashes and other challenges on the road.