Traffic offenders’ database ready by July 1– Chidoka

Database on traffic offenders in the past three years are now being captured by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).

This FRSC said is expected to be concluded on or before July 1, even as all the banks collecting fines on behalf of FRSC must be connected to its locally developed software before this date.

Disclosing this in his presentation at the two-day National Addressing System held in Lagos, the Corp Marshal, Mr. Osita Chidoka, said that effective from July 1, 2009, all traffic offenders in the country would be entering FRSC database and would be alerted when such offenders settle their fine at some designated banks nationwide.

Dwelling on “The Importance of National Addressing to National Security” Mr. Chidoka noted that the importance of national addressing system cannot be over emphasized as it helps immensely during emergencies and control of traffic at a given area.

He also said that it would help employers of labour to know the kind of drivers they employ and differentiate good from the bad; who may be having some challenges, especially for potential drivers, lamenting that what some of them do is to cause accidents because of their poor eye vision and move to another key transporter until they simply retire as private drivers.

Describing the initiative as revolutionary, Chidoka that it would open a new paradigm for the nation, because is very critical and works as a parameter in social change, just as it is helpful to securities and paves the way for development.

All vehicles licensed in the country are yet unverifiable because there is no addressing structure to facilitate that, but with the move by the federal government through NIPOST, a remarkable achievement is expected to come out of the project.

He also listed Costa Rica as one of the developing countries still tinkering on its addressing system, maintaining that research has shown that it is a major issue in developing economies.

In his goodwill message, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, who was represented by Mrs. Nwakanma, commended the Ministry of Information and Communications for coming up with this workshop at this moment of rebranding Nigeria.

For him, the concept of re-branding Nigeria entails a positive re-orientation of the values of the populace.
“Successful re-orientation requires a return to our national values and ethos and above all, it requires a re-discovery of our national identity, closely tied to which is our system of national addressing,” he said.
He noted with dismay that regularly Nigerians seek to track long lost relations and friends, resorting to the media, simply because of the unreliable national addressing system.
SGF emphasized that beyond telling the Nigerian story, the populace must learn how to live it out and the first step towards that is to be able to identify who and where individuals and groups are within the country.
He condemned the naming of two or more streets in the same city after one individual, when there are several other distinguished Nigerians waiting to be recognized.
“You may have seen Chukwuma Abubakar Street, Chukwuma Abubakar Way, Chukwuma Abubakar Crescent all in one city,” he said, describing it as a major weakness in national addressing system that need to be reviewed.

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