Red Cross, FRSC, others launch campaign against road crashes

FCT, Lagos rank highest in road crash statistics

To address the rising number of road traffic crashes (RTCs) in Nigeria, the Nigerian Red Cross, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Prudential Zenith Life Insurance, have launched an advocacy campaign.

The partnership aims to raise awareness and implement strategies to reduce the alarming statistics, ensuring safer roads for all Nigerians.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, the Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer for Prudential Zenith Life, Cherise Ige, highlighted the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and its focus on reducing RTC fatalities.

According to a report by Prudential Zenith Life Insurance, Nigeria records one of the highest rates of RTC fatalities globally.

In Q2 2023 alone, there were 2,967 reported cases of RTCs, marking an 8.56 per cent increase from the previous quarter. Out of these, 1,919 were classified as serious cases, with 1,409 fatalities recorded.

She said: “What we intend to achieve here is to generally work on making the lives of Nigerians better. As a life insurance company, we see the deaths of Nigerians every day.

“And it is within our cause that we want to reduce this. And this is one of the very impactful campaigns that can make this message go further.

“It is something that we’ve realised as an issue in Nigeria and we want to make it better because it will not just benefit us as an insurance company to cover less death claims, but also to ensure that we have the Nigerian communities live longer.”

In his remarks, the MD of Nigeria Red Cross Society Enterprise, Dr. Usman Emmanuel Bassi, noted that about 2.1 million road crashes have occurred, claiming numerous lives, with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos ranking highest in the statistics.

He said: “The whole aim of this project, which we call the Safe Step Road Safety Campaign Project, is to ensure that we enlighten the general public, the road users, and the stakeholders in the transportation sector on road safety.

“So, we work closely with Prudential Zenith Life Insurance and the Nigerian Red Cross to ensure that we provide the necessary awareness.”