The Anambra State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Corps Commander (CC) Joyce Alexander, has debunked the widespread notion that ‘Village People’ (a colloquial term used to describe malevolent individuals or spiritual forces) are responsible for the frequent road accidents often witnessed during the Ember months.
CC Alexander made the clarification on Monday, September 23, while hosting and interacting with the members and stakeholders of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Council, who paid her a visit in her office at the FRSC State Headquarters, Awka.
While highlight various explorable areas of synergy and partnership between the FRSC and the media, she said torched on the need for adequate and proper enlightenment of the road users, which can best be achieved through the powerful and far-reaching tool of the media.
According to her, many individuals hold certain misconceptions regarding road traffic accidents, particularly during the Ember Months, when it is erroneously believed by many that malevolent individuals usually deploy supernatural or mystical interventions to cause recurring accidents to travellers.
The FRSC Sector Commander, however, explained that the heightened rates of road traffic crashes recorded during Ember months are partly due to increased vehicular activities on the road and partly due to certain reckless attitudes of many drivers, such as giving less attention to the roadworthiness of their vehicles due to increased expenditure and high cost of things that come with Ember months.
Other causes, she highlighted, include the increased pressure on commercial drivers to make up for lost time during the year by working without having enough rest, and by trying to make more trips in a shorter amount of time, which often lead to over-speeding/reckless driving, distraction, and fatigue or even sleeping off on steering while driving, among others. She, however, revealed that her Command would soon flag-off the Ember Months Campaign, even as she sought the help of the media in disseminating and driving home the message of road safety to their millions of audiences, including those in critical areas.
Commending the existing relationship between the FRSC and the media in Anambra State, especially in the area of public enlightenment, CC Alexander, who also has a background in journalism, recounted her experience in the media industry and its influence on her understanding of the public enlightenment and the enforcement/operations approaches to road safety, with her endearment tailored more towards the public enlightenment approach. She therefore called for a stronger synergy and greater collaboration between her agency and the media, which she described as an indispensable tool in championing the public enlightenment and a sinequanon for achieving her main purpose of being in Anambra — to make Anambra enjoy the benefits of the establishment of the FRSC. CC Alexander also expressed interest to surpass the achievements of her predecessors in the State and set higher standards.
Earlier speaking, the leader of the delegation and State Chairman of NUJ, Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, PhD, explained that the primary aim of the visit was to familiarize with new FRSC Boss, CC Alexander, who assumed office on July 29 as the 15th substantive and first female Sector Commander in the State.
While expressing appreciation for the longstanding collaboration between the Command and the media in Anambra State, Comrade Odogwu, who congratulated the new Sector Commander on her new role in the State, also assured her of stronger partnership and greater support of the media, as a member of the media family, to make her stay and service in Anambra a fulfilling, seamless and memorable one, marked by several achievements. As part of strengthening this partnership, he also extended an invitation to the Sector Commander to attend the State NUJ’s annual Press Week, scheduled for the last week of October, with the grand finale on November 7, 2024, where she would also have the floor to dish out some safety messages to Ndị Anambra and the world at large through the instrumentality of the media, given the period of the year.
Commending her approachable and people-centered approach, which has fostered greater connection with both the media and the public, Comrade Odogwu also proposed organizing a workshop in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to educate journalists on road safety and reporting during the NUJ’s December congress. He further called on the Command to initiate more road safety awareness campaigns, especially in schools, due to the rising danger posed by distractions from mobile phones among students who absentmindedly press their phones while walking on the road. He encouraged the Command to leverage such opportunities to make a lasting impact on younger generations, adding that such engagements with students could have long-term benefits.
In a remark, the NUJ Matriarch and respected media scholar, Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna, hailed the appointment of the female Sector Commander as a significant achievement for women in leadership. While noting that women in such roles often face scrutiny, she emphasized the need for excellence to defy stereotypes.
Prof. Okunna, though not a gender activist, highlighted the importance of results over competition between genders; even as she strongly assured the Sector Commander of media support, stressing that the media would not hesitate to hold her accountable, being the watchdog of the society.
The NUJ Matriarch and first female professor of Mass Communication in Sub-Saharan Africa further highlighted the power of the media to shape public perception, urging the Sector Commander to seize this opportunity to lead with distinction. She assured her that the media would amplify her success if she excels but would not hesitate to call out any failures. Confident in the Sector Commander’s abilities, Prof. Okunna encouraged her to shine brightly and reaffirmed that both the NUJ and the media in general would be watching closely and supporting her journey.
Also present during the visit were some members of the Anambra State NUJ Executives, including the Vice Chairman, Mrs. Ngozi Obileri, and the Assistant Secretary General, Mr. Okechukwu Onuegbu; as well some senior officers of the FRSC Anambra State Command, including the Deputy Corps Commander in charge of Technical Service Department, DCC Okonkwo; the Deputy Corps Commander in charge of Administration and Human Resources Department, DCC JP Okun; as well as the CRC in charge of Operations, CRC Evaristus Oguadimma.
Exchange of memorabilia, as well as the signing of Visitors Note by the NUJ Chairman, Dr. Odogwu and the NUJ Matriarch, Prof. Stella Okunna, formed the high point of the event.
