Special Marshals of the Federal Capital Territory will be holding the 2021 edition of their signature event tagged the Sectoral Workshop on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at the auditorium of the .National Universities Commission by 10:00 am prompt. Theme of this year’s edition is ‘ Volunteerism Beyond Ember Months: The role of FRSC Speccial Marshals in combating road traffic crashes’.
Expected to grace the occasion are the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Muhammed Bello, the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the FRSC Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, the National Coordinator of the Special Marshal, Dr. John Ugbebor, the Zonal Commanding Officer RS.7, ACM Jona Agwu and other dignitaries. Playing the role of Chief Host will be the Sector Commander of the FCT Sector Command, Corps Commander S O Ochi whom will be ably supported by the Host Comrade Sanni Adisa, FCT State Coordinator of the Special Marshals. Also expected are Special Marshals from the body’s 45 units spread across various commands and outposts within the FCT and environs. Amongst activities lined up for the event are a lecture and presentation of awards to deserving Special Marshals and private individuals who have distinguished themselves through their support for the promotion of road safety across the country and beyond.
ACM Jonas Agwu, Zonal Commander RS 7 Headquarters, Abuja in a chat with our reporter expressed his excitement over the forthcoming event. He described it as a crucial forum designed to bring relevant stakeholders together with the aim of appraising the activities of the Special Marshals and charting the way forward with the ultimate goal of positioning them for enhanced efficiency. “The Special Marshals are an integral part of the FRSC family and their contributions to the promotion of safety on our roads are invaluable. The Sectoral Workshop is a good initiative which will afford them a chance to properly position themselves to effectively address future challenges and demands bearing in mind that road usage is dynamic and requiring of consistent re-adjustments in strategy and mind set”.
According to Corps Commander S O Ochi the FCT Sector Commander, who also spoke with our reporter at his office located at the FRSC, FCT Sector Command, Wuse, Abuja, “The Sectoral Workshop is a strategic forum held bi-annually to appraise the activities of the Special Marshals while also deliberating on crucial issues related to optimizing the effectiveness of the body. With the rising number of road users within the Federal Capital Territory and the country at large, the need to consistently re-strategize on matters of safety has become a matter of necessity. Though this year’s event will be a little low key due to COVID 19 protocol considerations, it will none the less be impactful”.
National Coordinator of the Special Marshals Dr. John Ugbebor also expressed his elation over this year’s theme of the workshop. According to Dr. Ugbebor, “The theme is far reaching and is intended to examine and highlight the relevance and impact of the activities of Special Marshals beyond the festive periods such as the Ember months where we witness mass movement of people and goods on our roads. Consistency in our activities is a crucial aspect of our mandate which we take seriously. I must add that the Special Marshals are giving good account of themselves in this regard. The event is not limited to Abuja alone. Special Marshals across the 36 states of the federation are either planning to host or have hosted their versions of the 2021 Sectoral Workshop focused on the same theme”.
FCT State Coordinator, Comrade Sanni Adisa speaking on the activities of Special Marshals in Abuja stated ” We are involved in various activities such as public enlightenment, enforcement,/advocacy, rescue and much more. Our visibility in the FCT has been on the increase over the years and we intend to keep on playing our part in saving lives through the humanitarian services we provide as volunteers under the banner of the FRSC. Our members are men of proven integrity who have continued to display a strong sense of commitment to the execution of our mandate. I wish to appeal to the public, especially residents of the FCT to continue to identify positively with our efforts”.
The Special Marshals constitute the non-uniformed and voluntary arm of the Federal Road Safety Corps as contained in the Federal Road Safety Act 2007. (amended). The Marshals have been instrumental to enhancing the mandate of the FRSC and have their membership spread across all states of the country.
