October 8, 2021
By Audrey John
The high point of the event yesterday atWARSO General Assembly at Bintumani was the award of the Vice President Ing. Mrs. May Obiri Yeboah, a Nigerian in recognition of her outstanding role in contributing to the growth and ideals of WARSO. In her post award remark she said she was loss of words in accepting the recognition adding that she looks back with nostalgia at what they started that has turned out to be beneficial to all West Africans. She said she never knew that what she was doing was being observed but she knew she was doing it for West Africa. She thank ed God for bringing WARSO this far. She called for sustained effort with all sincerity to take WARSO to higher height.
The Board Chairman of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority Sheikh Bayoh in a keynote address at the ongoing WARSO General Assembly of the Bintumani Conference on theme: Mainstreaming Safety in West Africa Through Regional Integration, traced the creation of the of West Africa Road Safety Organization in 2008 in Abuja, against the background of the wanton destruction of lives and limbs in the sub region.
He said the idea is based on the need to ameliorate the human cost road crashes, fatalities and injuries of a viable workforce. He alluded to the WHO classification of road crashes as a global health issue adding that another school of thought has drawn a nexus between road crashes and poverty.
He cited statistics of road accident death toll in 2016 using WHO figures of more than 6000 onn average in the sub region.
Chairman Sheikh Bayoh pointed out that there are a plethora of factors accounting for road crashes including substandard roads and vehicles as well as drunk driving. He expressed delight over the initiative of WARSO to promote and reinforce road safety in the sub region as exemplified by the convergence of the General Assembly in Freetown to deliberate on the laudable theme of regional integration.
He argued that mainstreaming road safety has the potential of saving lives today and preserving the future. He stressed the importance of protecting the lives of youths who are prone to road fatalities and yet constitute the potent workforce.
He used the occasion to disclose the policies that they at the Sierra Leone Roads Safety Authority have put in place geared towards human safety and security.
In his opening remarks the Chairman of the even Nathaniel King said the theme of the conference said it is s powerful position to have chosen in mainstreaming and integrating road safety. He said internal integration must be the starting pointing before going external. He urged the assembly to enable Sierra Leone strengthen its system in terms of policy safety for the roads at village, street and highway levels
According to the Inspector General of Police Ambrose Sovula Road Safety is relevant .in maintaining human capital which plays an important in the socio-economic development of a country. He said with technological advances in inventions of various machineries using the road there is also a threat on human lives and property. He said in Sierra Leone as it is in other West African states roads accidents account for most of the mortality figures in the country. He lauded the initiative of putting road safety highest on the agenda in reducing road crashes. He said the Sierra Leone 1991 Constitution has placed road safety as a fundamental right of citizens for which the Sierra Leone Police is charged with the responsibility. He cited the specific areas of the Police obligation in road safety namely: protection of lives and property, apprehend and prosecute offenders,, enforce the road Traffic Act and Regulation, enhance free flow of traffic and ensure safety. He said the government of Sierra Leone has embarked on road construction across the country to demonstrate its commitment to road safety. He disclosed the investigation into road crashes over the years in the country is attributed to violation of traffic law violation. He specifically referenced over speeding as a major cause of the road crashes as something that must be avoided. He therefore applauded the WARSO General Assembly for the initiative in raising awareness and embarking legislative reforms to respond to the threat of road crashes.