Federal Road Safety Corps

Federal Road Safety Corps is the Government Agency with statutory responsibilities for road safety administration in Nigeria. Founded in 1988, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) operates in all Nigerian states as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

The FRSC is currently headed by Boboye O Oyeyemi, MFR, mni whose title is the Corps Marshal the highest rank in the Corps ranking system.


The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Nigeria. Established in 1988, the FRSC is the lead agency in Nigeria on road safety administration and management. The statutory functions include: Making the highways safe for motorists and other road users as well as checking road worthiness of vehicles, recommending works and infrastructures to eliminate or minimize accidents on the highways and educating motorists and members of the public on the importance of road discipline on the highways.

Historic perspective

Prior to the establishment of Federal Road Safety Commission in 1988, there was no concrete and sustained policy action to address the carnage on Nigerian roads. Earlier attempts in this direction were limited to discrete and isolated attempts by some states of the federation and individuals.

Notable among the efforts to institute a formidable road safety program was the effort of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) between 1960 and 1965. The effort of the Nigerian Army in the training of its officers and men on road safety in the early 1970s also contributed to road safety ideas and consciousness in Nigeria: The Nigerian Army started the First Public Road Safety Campaign in 1972 when it initiated an annual Road Safety Week.

The first deliberate policy on road safety was the creation in 1974 of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) by the then military government. The impact of the Commission was however, not sustained. In 1977, the Military Administration in Oyo State, Nigeria established the Oyo State Road Safety Corps which made some local significant improvements in road safety and road discipline in the state. That lasted till 1983, when it was disbanded by the federal government.

With the continued dangerous trend of road traffic accidents in Nigeria then, which placed it as one of the most road traffic accident (RTA) prone countries worldwide (second to Ethiopia), the Nigerian government saw the need to establish the present Federal Road Safety Corps in 1988 to address the carnage on the highways.

Establishment Act

The unpleasant trend in the nation's road traffic system which resulted in upsurge in road traffic accidents made the Federal Government initiate a search for a credible and effective response to the challenge.

In February 1988, the Federal Government established the Federal Road Safety Commission through Decree No. 45 of the 1988 as amended by Decree 35 of 1992 referred to in the statute books as the FRSC Act cap 141 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN). Passed by the National Assembly as Federal Road Safety Corps (establishment) Act 200

Statutory functions

The functions of the Commission generally relates to:

In particular, the Commission is charged with responsibilities as follows:

In exercising these functions, members of the Commission shall have power to arrest and prosecute persons reasonably suspected of having committed any traffic offence.

External links

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