Corps Marshal Mohammed, to lead Nigeria’s delegation to UN meeting on improving global road safety

By Onu Okorie

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to improving global road safety by directing the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, to lead the country’s delegation to the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety at the United Nations General Assembly Headquarters in New York, United States.

The high-level gathering brings together Heads of State, ministers, global policymakers and road safety experts to accelerate the implementation of commitments aimed at reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by 50 per cent by 2030 under the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Presenting Nigeria’s national statement on behalf of President Tinubu during the plenary session themed, “Scaling Up and Accelerating Implementation of Commitments to Halving Road Traffic Deaths and Injuries by 2030,” Mohammed reaffirmed the Federal Government’s determination to strengthen road safety governance through sustained political commitment, strategic investments, innovation and stronger international partnerships in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He told delegates that the Federal Government had continued to strengthen the institutional capacity of the FRSC through strategic reforms, deployment of technology-driven enforcement systems, improved emergency response mechanisms and expanded public enlightenment campaigns aimed at reducing fatalities on Nigerian roads.

The Corps Marshal also highlighted Nigeria’s growing leadership role in road safety across Africa, noting the recent launch of the Nigeria Road Assessment Programme (NigeriaRAP) in collaboration with the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP). According to him, the initiative is designed to improve road infrastructure safety using the globally recognised Safe System Approach.

He further pointed out that Nigeria hosts the Secretariat of the African Association of Road Safety Lead Agencies (AARSLA), providing a platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing and institutional strengthening among road safety agencies across the continent.

Mohammed said Nigeria was also aligning its transportation sector with global sustainability goals through the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicles, while developing safety standards for heavy goods vehicles and emerging transport technologies.

Despite the progress recorded, he stressed that stronger international cooperation remained crucial in areas such as intelligent enforcement technologies, road infrastructure safety assessments, institutional capacity development and technology transfer.

He called on development partners and the international community to deepen technical cooperation and support capacity-building programmes to accelerate the achievement of global road safety targets.

Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment, Mohammed declared that road safety remains a national political priority under President Tinubu’s administration, assuring the global community that the country would continue working with international partners to build safer roads, save lives and contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The United Nations High-Level Meeting, convened by the President of the UN General Assembly in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is expected to adopt a Progress Declaration that will guide global efforts to reduce road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent before 2030. The meeting is also reviewing countries’ progress since the 2022 Political Declaration and the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety held in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2025.