Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for urgent action to halve Nigeria’s road crash deaths by 2030.
He urged global best practices and stronger partnerships to make highways safer nationwide.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged swift and coordinated action to cut road crash fatalities and injuries in Nigeria by half before 2030.
Speaking at the 8th Annual Lecture Series of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Wednesday in Abuja, Shettima encouraged transport stakeholders to adopt global standards and implement practical steps that can improve safety on Nigerian highways.
The lecture, themed “Road Safety Management and Emerging Transportation Trends: Global Partnership and Optimal Performance,” drew participation from senior government officials, transport experts, and advocates.
FRSC data show that between January and June 2025, Nigeria recorded 5,281 road accidents involving nearly 40,000 people. Out of this figure, 2,838 lost their lives, while 17,818 were rescued with varying degrees of injuries.
In his keynote speech, Shettima described the theme as both “timely and necessary,” saying it provided an opportunity to review persistent challenges in the sector while learning from global practices.
He encouraged participants to propose solutions that would “clean up the nation’s highways” and ensure the target of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by 50 percent is met by the end of the decade.
The Vice President also praised the FRSC for becoming a reference point in road safety within West Africa and across Africa. He assured that the Federal Government would continue to provide support, noting that the FRSC Amendment Bill had passed third reading in the House of Representatives and was awaiting Senate approval.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, called on the Corps to work toward achieving “zero fatalities” during the upcoming Ember Months and festive season. He commended the FRSC for its sustained awareness campaigns and for setting standards for fleet operators, noting that safer roads align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, stressed the need for stronger partnerships both locally and internationally. He explained that reviving the lecture series, last held in 2017, was in line with Nigeria’s commitment to the United Nations target of halving road accident deaths in Africa by 2030.
Despite years of advocacy and enforcement, he admitted that the numbers remain disturbing, with an average of 5,000 lives lost annually and more than 31,000 injured. He expressed optimism that recommendations from the event would help shape effective policies and drive behavioral change on Nigerian roads.
