Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa has appealed to the Federal Government to establish an outfit to secure waterways in riverine areas, to reduce criminality and accidents.
He made the call on Thursday when the Bayelsa Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Usman Ibrahim, paid him a visit at Government House, Yenagoa.
Diri stated that due to the riverine terrain of the state, there was the need to establish an outfit like the FRSC and that would police the waterways in like manner.
The governor expressed delight that road accidents had drastically reduced in the state and urged the command to do more to reduce it to the barest minimum.
Diri, who decried the dearth of federal highways in the state, tasked men of the command to provide more signages at strategic locations and also educate road users on their meanings.
“I am sure this will bring to rest the issue of kidnapping and other criminal activities.
“May I use this opportunity to also call on the Federal Government that we need equal treatment on our waterways.
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“We are happy that crashes and other forms of accidents are not very common in Bayelsa. But this may be due to what I would describe as non-existent federal highways unlike other states,” he said.
Diri thanked the FRSC for its readiness to extend its operations to the road leading to the Bayelsa International Airport, assuring that the state would synergise with the command to ensure accident-free roads.
Earlier, Ibrahim disclosed that there had been no fatal road accidents in the state since May 2021, attributing it to the good roads existing in the state.
With the commencement of flight operations at the Bayelsa airport, he added, the command would extend its operations to the road and ensure the safety of its users.
The Sector Commander said a road safety advisory council had been established at the national level and appealed to the state government to replicate it.
He also requested for land, to enable the command to build a permanent structure in the state.
