Aba O. Aba in Abuja
As the Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (APRI), clocks 20 years, the NGO says its mission remains clear: to make Nigerian roads safer, more organized and more dignified through education, advocacy and direct action.
Executive Director Amb. Fidelis Nnadi, speaking to journalists, traced APRI’s origin to September 2006, when it was set up to complement FRSC and VIOs in saving lives, reducing crashes, and promoting best practices in Motor Vehicle Administration.
He said APRI’s goal from inception has been to ensure safer roads through effective traffic management and collaboration, because government alone cannot achieve zero crashes on Nigerian roads.
In the area of policy, APRI made history as the first road safety NGO to organize international conferences on Motor Vehicle Administration. The 2010 conference in Abuja assembled stakeholders to adopt reforms modeled after developed countries.
APRI was also instrumental in forming the Coalition of Road Safety NGOs in Nigeria and has remained a leading voice in civil society engagement on road safety.
A major breakthrough came when APRI was appointed Consultants for implementing the Special Trade License Regulation in FCT and other States. The policy targets informal motor dealers and service providers to ensure documentation, security checks and roadworthiness.
In Abia State where APRI was established, the organization carried out traffic control in Umuahia and Aba, enlightenment for tricycle and motorcycle riders, and advocacy for technology-driven vehicle inspection now adopted nationwide.
In the FCT, APRI engaged motor dealers in Apo, Katampe and Kubwa, trained enforcement taskforces, and joined ember-month sensitization and rescue operations on Abuja-Keffi and Abuja-Lokoja highways.
The NGO also partnered with FRSC on “Safe to School” and “Don’t Drink and Drive” campaigns, and consistently advocated against “one chance” and multiple taxation of transport unions.
Looking ahead, Nnadi called on Nigerians to embrace compliance, saying “compliance is not punishment, it is protection for lives and property.” He urged companies and well-meaning Nigerians to donate ambulances and for youths to volunteer in road safety groups to save lives.