The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Gombe State Command, on Thursday visited students of Bethany International College in the state to educate them on safety issues.
Mr Suleiman Bilayabu, the Officer in-charge of Youth Safety Education (YSE), FRSC, Gombe State Command while speaking to the students at the school premises in Nasarawo community, Gombe said road safety remained a collective responsibility.
Bilayabu said that the awareness was part of activities to commemorate the 8th United Nations Global Safety Week which he said was a biennial event aimed at raising awareness about road safety and accident prevention.
He said that the awareness would help to prepare the students early enough as the next generation of drivers and road users in the country.
“YSE was conceived as an initiative to impact good road culture amongst the young pupils and students.
“This is done to ‘Catch them Young ‘and lay a foundation so that the pupils imbibe good road behaviour at early age before adulthood; that’s why we are here on this special day,” he said.
While sensitising the students, Janet Kassa, the Command’s Public Enlightenment Officer, in the state told them to imbibe good road use as well as discouraging them from engaging in underage driving.
Kassa enlightened the students on road signs to safeguard them from avoidable accidents.
She said that such enlightenment was key to reducing accidents and children being the future of the country, needed to be empowered with necessary information on how to stay alive by being cautious while on the road.
She commended the school for inculcating road safety education as part of the topics that students were being taught.
“This is why the students are highly knowledgeable on safety rules and signs; its impressive,” she said.
On her part, the Manager of the school, Mrs Benedicta Olaniyan, commended the FRSC for coming to the school to enlighten young people on good road use.
Olaniyan who was represented by Mr Olabisi Samuel, the College’s principal appealed to the Command to assist in establishing a safety club at the college, a request which Bilayabu said would be facilitated within a month.
Our Correspondent reports that materials containing safety tips were handled over to the school for road safety education.
This year’s theme is, “Streets for Life: Make Walking Safe, Make Cycling Safe,”
