Stakeholders Urges Stronger Collaboration On Road Safety

 Gabi Hibbatullah, Abuja

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s transportation sector have called for stronger collaboration to improve the safety of drivers and passengers using ride-hailing services.

The call was made at the third edition of the inDrive Safety Summit, themed “Transparency,” held in Abuja recently.

At the summit, the director at the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mrs Jane Ojinta, who represented the permanent secretary, said road connectivity and safety were shared responsibilities requiring cooperation among government agencies, private-sector operators, drivers and passengers.

Ojinta urged inDrive and other mobility operators to sustain investments in driver verification, vehicle safety, passenger protection, emergency response systems and public awareness.
She reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for innovation and investment in the transportation sector, while supporting safer, more efficient, accessible and sustainable mobility solutions.

She also urged stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, adopt appropriate technology and maintain high standards of safety and service delivery.

Assistant Corps Commander and Unit Commander of the FRSC Life Camp, Laraba J. Shanwa, said the agency placed significant emphasis on collaboration in road safety management.

She urged mobility operators to collaborate on driver training and retraining, public awareness campaigns, data-driven interventions to reduce road traffic crashes and improved safety standards for fleet operations. Country Manager of inDrive Nigeria, Timothy Oladimeji, said the platform was established to provide affordable and safe transportation services.

Oladimeji said the summit was designed to engage key stakeholders on safety and mobility and develop practical solutions with measurable outcomes. He stressed that safe transportation required the active participation of drivers, passengers, government agencies and other stakeholders, adding that drivers had a critical role in ensuring safe and responsible trips.

According to him, inDrive had partnered with government agencies to improve driver verification, strengthen response times in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force and enhance driver onboarding with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Also speaking at the event, Adimaldo Silva, Driver Marketing Lead for Africa, the Middle East, and Europe at inDrive, highlighted the safety features available on the platform to protect drivers and passengers.

Similarly, Festus Achu, who delivered a goodwill message on behalf of the Director of the Federal Capital Territory Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), commended inDrive for organising the summit to promote safety, security and accountability in the e-hailing industry.

Achu called for stronger cooperation among government agencies, technology platforms, drivers, security agencies and the public to improve road safety and security. The summit also featured panel discussions involving stakeholders across Nigeria’s transportation sector.