The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has vowed to take strict action against any officer found involved in extortion, reckless enforcement conduct, or other unethical practices.
The Corps Marshal, Mallam Shehu Mohammed, gave the warning on Tuesday in Ibadan, at a sensitisation programme tagged: “Discipline Reinforcement and Strengthening of Command and Control in Field Commands.”
Represented by the Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO) Olusegun Ogungbemide, the FRSC boss said that the corps, over the past months, had observed a disturbing decline in discipline, professionalism and effective command and control in most field commands.
Mohammed noted that the lapses had manifested as misconduct, unethical practices, abuse of authority, extortion, reckless enforcement behaviours and other actions that contradicted everything the uniform represented.
According to him, the disturbing trend has steadily eroded public trust in the corps.
“Let me state clearly and without ambiguity, that such behaviours are unacceptable. They violate our regulations, betray our training, contradict our core values and ultimately endanger the credibility and reputation of the corps.
“Every time a road user loses confidence in us, our mandate becomes harder to achieve.
“Every act of unprofessional conduct damages the image of thousands of disciplined staff and every abuse of authority weakens the trust built over the decades.
“We must remind ourselves that the corps was not created merely to enforce traffic laws. We were established to save lives and serve the public with integrity.
“Our authority flows directly from public trust and once that trust is compromised, our effectiveness is compromised.
“This is why the present exercise is a corrective measure, not a witch-hunt, but an opportunity for reorientation, reinforcement and renewal,” he said.
He urged young officers and marshals to remember that their uniforms remain a symbol of honour which must be worn with pride.
He added that their conduct on the road and in public spaces speaks louder than any public relations effort.
The corps marshal also charged commanding officers and other supervisors to supervise actively, correct promptly, mentor consistently and never tolerate misconduct in silence, noting that silence in the face of wrongdoing was complicity.
“Going forward, discipline will be strengthened; accountability will be enforced; ethical standards will be upheld and commendable conduct will be rewarded and violations will be sanctioned with fairness and firmness,” he said.
Earlier in her remarks, the FRSC Oyo Sector Commander, Mrs Rosemary Alo, described the programme as apt and strategic, emphasising that discipline remains the bedrock of any paramilitary organisation.
She noted that the FRSC, being officers entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding lives on highways, must continually realign themselves with the core values of the corps, which is professionalism, integrity, transparency and accountability.
“Command and control are operational necessities. Effective supervision, clear communication channels and adherence to laid-down procedures ensure that we function as a unified and efficient system.
“When discipline is reinforced and command structures are respected, operational results improve, public confidence increases and the image of the corps is strengthened,” she said.
Alo urged members of the public to take advantage of the FRSC mobile apps on play store, to promptly report incidents, give feedbacks and actively engage with the corps on its services.
