Drumbeats for Boboye Oyeyemi

ROAD SAFETY ARTICLE

The red carpets were rolled for seven solid days. The sound of the African drums orchestrated by the Federal Road Safety Corps band followed suit in celebration of the man referred to as ‘the last man standing’. It was a weeklong event; the first ever in the history of the Corps. The week-long activities kicked off on Monday the 18 July and lasted till Monday, 25 July, 2022.

To commence the activities, a meeting was held with the Special Marshal National Executive Committee on Monday, 18 July 2022. This was followed on Tuesday the 19th July, 2022, with the expanded management meeting of the Federal Road Safety Corps. The meeting was a precursor to a recap of the stewardship of Boboye Oyeyemi, the first indigenous Corps Marshal of the Corps who took the driving seat after 26 years of the establishment of the Corps, Nigeria’s lead agency on road safety management and traffic administration.

On Wednesday, the 20th, there was the Corps Marshal Strategy Session with the FRSC High Command comprising top management, as well as the field command operatives leaders. Thursday the 21st July was the real deal; the first Corps Marshal Lecture series while a parade, church service, as well as a special Corps Marshal Walk exercise was held on Friday 22nd July and Saturday 23th July respectively, preceding the pull out ceremony held on 25th July 2022 at the old parade ground in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The pull out ceremony had the crème de la crème ranging from Usman Alkali Baba, Inspector General of Police, the Comptroller General of the Federal Fire Service, Jaji Olola Abdulganiyu, as well as Ahmed Abubakar Audi, the Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Others included Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and representatives of the Chief of Army Staff, Nigeria Correctional Services, Nigeria Immigration Service, and the FCT Road Traffic Administration. Past leadership of the Corps were fully on ground to own the fruits of the seed sowed years ago. They included past Chairmen of the Commission, past Corps Marshals and Chief Executives, as well as Acting Corps Marshals. Among these were Prof Wole Soyinka, whose arrival threw the crowd into a frenzy of celebration in acknowledgement of his role in birthing an Agency that has survived all odds since 1988. Others were Vice Admiral Akin Aduwo (rtd), Alhaji Adamu Waziri Maina, Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe, Colonel Lawan Gwadabe (rtd), Dr Olu Agunloye and Mallam Yakasai, while Bukhari Bello the current Chairman of the Commission and other members of the Federal Road Safety Commission and a litany of Special Marshals and Road Safety Officers Wives Association (ROSOWA) were also on ground to honour the celebrant. So colorful was the gathering assembled to bid farewell to a man who had given his all from 1988 to project FRSC, Nigeria as a world class model.

I was barely a year old in the Corps when our paths crossed in 1996. As a young Officer and a novice perhaps on the job, I recall the first time when based on an assigned research work I submitted for one of the Corps publics, he invited me to his office in Operations Department and verbally commended me and said “please keep it up”. The next was in 1997 during the WASA to mark the 9th anniversary of the Corps. I had just rounded up the programme as compere in the absence of retired Assistant Corps Marshal Yakubu Attah when he pulled me aside at the Old Parade ground, the venue of the event which incidentally was the venue of his final pull out from the Corps and in his baritone voice, asked, ’’where have you been’’, his trademark acknowledgment when a staff’s performance such as mine on that day meets expectation.

In 1999 when I was appointed acting spokesperson for the Corps, he made it his point of duty to monitor my media appearances, especially on NTA, always guiding me on the need to speak authoritatively by quoting the specific sections of the National Road Traffic Regulations to buttress my points. His guidance, I dare say, was instrumental in building my capacity in FRSC, especially in my assigned role as spokesperson.

I recall with nostalgia how elated he was with me when barely after a brief stay as spokesperson, I rolled out, “The Marshal”, an in-house journal for the Corps. In his words, “Jonas, you have made your mark in FRSC in just a short while by resuscitating this journal that was rested a long time ago.” There is no doubt that the midwifing of the journal which coincided with the birth of OGA DRIVER, an interactive road safety public enlightenment programme which has run on ASO RADIO from 1999 till date launched my career in the Corps for good and I owe him for shepherding me.

When he was appointed as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) by former President Goodluck Jonathan on 23rd July 2014, the emergence of Dr Boboye Olayemi Oyeyemi, was no surprise to me. I know that I am not a Prophet but I know that I serve God. I recall some years back when shortly after his deployment to Yola which did not settle well with him, I walked to his office and said, ‘’oga please go and make your mark and return as God prepares you to take over some day as Corps Marshal’’. So when he was appointed amidst the confidence expressed by the President during his appointment, I was not in any way surprised and I blessed God for allowing me to function in the prophetic ministry gift.

Before his appointment, FRSC under the watch of Osita Chidoka as Corps Marshal had gotten certified with the global certificate of standardization, otherwise referred to as ISO 9001:2008, placing the Corps on the same pedestal with a select few law enforcement agencies world wide that are ISO certified. Prior to his appointment, Oyeyemi had the privilege of heading critical departments and commands of the Corps. They include Operations, Motor Vehicle Administration, Training and Policy, Research and Statistics, amongst others where he excelled. On assumption, he imbibed the policy of continuity, by building on the foundations bequeathed by his predecessor, Chief Osita Chidoka who had earlier been appointed as a Minister of Aviation and member of the Federal Executive Council.

His eight years leadership was based on the tripod of Consultation, Reward and Punishment (CRP) an acronym for the use of carrots and sticks in managing the affairs of the Corps. Oyeyemi not only iced the digitization policy of the Corps, but took it to the next level. In addition to digitalization of the Corps, there was unprecedented increase in the workforce through annual   recruitment as well as   expansion of the patrol arsenals of the Corps through the introduction of Corridor Commands and Station Offices which has enhanced the presence of the FRSC in all the nation’s 774 Local Government Areas in alignment with the vision of policing the nations. He expanded the Corps patrol vehicles with the unwavering support from President Mohammadu Buhari administration that led to the procurement of an unprecedented number of operational vehicles, tow trucks, ambulances, administration vehicles and other rescue equipment, the largest ever secured by any management in the 34 years of the Corps existence. Oyeyemi prioritized constructing permanent office accommodation across the country which has enhanced productivity. He unveiled the 20,000 staff Housing Scheme to make house ownership easier for all staff of the Corps while he introduced FRSC Post Service Scheme (PSS) to provide succor not only to retiring staff but to those still serving.

As a knowledge based organization, he equally prioritized staff capacity development programmes through upgrading the FRSC Academy Udi, Enugu State to a centre of excellence for the study of Road Safety Management  affiliated with the Federal University of Technology, Owerri for the award of post-graduate degree in Transportation Management.

Under his watch, he took delivery of an ultra-modern Inspectorate Training School, Owa Alero in Delta State through the magnanimity of the government and people of Delta State, while the Plateau State Government is currently building the Road Marshal Assistant Training School in Shendam, Plateau State and work is already at an advanced stage.

To fast track the statutory mandate of educating the motoring public, he established the National Traffic Radio (107.1 FM) Abuja while additional Print Farms have been established to improve driver’s license production in keeping with Government Ease of Doing Business Policy. He equally established the Field Operations Monitoring and Control Center, procurement and deployment of Body Worn Cameras and establishment of Drivers Proficiency Center at Inspectors Training School, Owa Alero in conjunction with the Delta State Government. There were other initiatives which led to local and international recognitions and awards. I salute you, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi.