The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Katsina Sector Command, on Sunday, joined millions across the globe in solemn remembrance of victims of road traffic crashes, holding a special interfaith commemoration service at ECWA Good News Church, GRA, as part of the 2025 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Crash Victims.
Led by the Sector Commander, Corps Commander Maxwell Kaltungo Lede, a joint delegation of Regular and Special Marshals—comprising both Christians and Muslims—attended the service. Their presence reflected a rare and powerful symbol of unity, compassion, and shared humanity, reinforcing the message that saving lives on Nigerian roads transcends religion, tribe, or social status.
The service created a reflective atmosphere as worshippers honoured departed crash victims, comforted families still grappling with loss, and refocused attention on the urgent need for safer roads. Congregants were sensitised on the dangers of increasing road traffic crashes and encouraged to adopt responsible behaviour that protects their lives and those of others.
Delivering a heartfelt message, Corps Commander Lede expressed deep worry about the alarming scale of road traffic crashes across Africa, particularly in Nigeria. He noted that the country’s expanding population places an enormous burden on the road transport system, resulting in higher crash rates and heavier casualties.
The statistics he shared painted a painful national portrait: 5,421 deaths and 31,154 injuries in 2024 from 9,570 reported crashes; and, between January and September 2025, 3,915 deaths and 24,674 injuries from 7,715 crashes nationwide. Lede described these figures as “echoes of lost dreams, broken families, and futures cruelly interrupted.”
This year’s global theme, “Lost Talent,” served as a stark reminder of the immense human potential erased annually by crashes. Children and young adults—those who represent the future of families and the nation—remain the most affected. “Every life lost,” Lede stressed, “is a dream unfinished and a talent the world will never experience again.”
He went further to highlight the emotional toll that road crashes leave behind—families grieving for a lifetime, friends and colleagues nursing silent pain, and emergency responders burdened with traumatic memories from scenes of tragedy. “Deaths are recorded annually,” he said, “but families remain bereaved forever.”
Reaffirming the Corps’ resolve to change this narrative, the Sector Commander outlined the FRSC’s implementation of the Safe System Approach, the backbone of the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) 2021–2030, which targets a 50% reduction in fatalities by 2030 in line with the UN SDG 3.6. The strategy emphasises safer vehicles and roads, stronger institutions, improved driver behaviour, and collaboration across all sectors.
A unique and heartwarming highlight of the event was the united participation of Muslim and Christian personnel in the church service—an embodiment of FRSC’s lifelong commitment to humanity. The host clergy, led by Rev. Dawuda Mani, commended the Corps for choosing the church as part of its sensitisation outreach. He pledged continued collaboration and offered special prayers for crash victims, their families, and first responders.
In his final charge, Corps Commander Lede urged Nigerians to value every life, avoid distractions while driving, and embrace the discipline needed to reduce crashes. He assured the public of sustained FRSC enforcement and enlightenment efforts across the state.
The commemoration ended with renewed hope, shared determination, and a resounding call for collective responsibility. The FRSC emphasised that every life lost is one too many—and only through unity, vigilance, and discipline can Nigeria’s roads become safer for all.
About The Author
