Abuja: The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Kogi Governor on Road Safety Matters, Dr. Yusuf Suberu, has urged motorists to exercise maximum caution during the rainy season to avoid preventable crashes. The governor’s aide made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Suberu explained that the season usually comes with peculiar challenges such as slippery roads, flooding, reduced visibility, and frequent vehicle breakdowns. He noted that Kogi’s central location as a gateway between the North and South makes the state’s highways some of the busiest in the country, thereby requiring heightened vigilance during adverse weather conditions.
Suberu highlighted that the rainy season increases the risks of road crashes due to reduced traction, obscured road markings, and the tendency of vehicles to skid when brakes are applied suddenly. He pointed out that overspeeding, dangerous overtaking, and poor vehicle maintenance under these conditions often lead to fatalities.
The SSA emphasized the need for motorists to conduct routine checks on their vehicles, focusing on tyres, wipers, lights, and brakes. He warned against the use of worn-out or expired tyres, noting that such negligence had been a major cause of fatal accidents on wet roads. Suberu advised drivers to reduce their speed, maintain adequate distance between vehicles, switch on headlights during downpours or cloudy weather, and avoid crossing flooded portions of the road.
Additionally, Suberu urged commercial transport operators to refrain from embarking on night journeys during the rainy season, warning that the combination of fatigue, poor visibility, and slippery roads increases the chances of accidents. Highlighting Kogi government’s efforts, he disclosed that his office was collaborating with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), transport unions, and traditional rulers to intensify sensitisation campaigns across motor parks, schools, and communities in the state and its environs.
He added that the state government, under Governor Usman Ododo, was committed to improving emergency response services and providing an enabling environment for safer road use. Suberu stressed that road safety is not solely the responsibility of the government but a collective task that requires precautionary measures, especially during the rainy season, to save lives and preserve the state’s socio-economic stability.
The governor’s aide called on media organisations and Civil Society Groups to join hands with the government in spreading safety messages that would influence positive behaviour among road users.
