President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to advancing 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 holding 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 halving road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030 under the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.
The Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed reaffirmed the Federal Government’s determination to strengthen road safety governance through sustained political commitment, strategic investment, innovation and enhanced international collaboration in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda. This was part of his presentation of 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.”
Shehu Mohammed told delegates that “the Federal Government has continued to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Federal Road Safety Corps through strategic reforms, deployment of technology-driven enforcement systems, improved emergency response mechanisms and enhanced public enlightenment programmes aimed at reducing fatalities on Nigerian roads.”
Highlighting Nigeria’s growing influence in continental road safety administration, the Corps Marshal noted that “Nigeria recently launched the Nigeria Road Assessment Programme (NigeriaRAP) in partnership with the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) to improve road infrastructure safety using the globally recognised Safe System Approach.”
He also emphasized that Nigeria currently hosts the Secretariat of the African Association of Road Safety Lead Agencies (AARSLA), providing a strategic platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange and institutional strengthening across Africa.
He further disclosed that Nigeria is aligning its transport future with global sustainability objectives through the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicles while developing robust safety standards for heavy goods vehicles and emerging transport technologies.
While acknowledging the progress recorded, the Corps Marshal stressed that “greater international cooperation remains essential in areas such as intelligent enforcement technologies, road infrastructure safety assessment, institutional capacity development and technology transfer.” He therefore urged development partners to deepen technical cooperation and support capacity-building initiatives that would accelerate the attainment of global road safety targets.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s position, Mohammed declared that “road safety remains a national political priority under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” assuring the international community that Nigeria would continue working closely with global partners to build safer roads, save more lives and contribute meaningfully to achieving 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 actions toward reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent before 2030, while reviewing countries’ progress since the 2022 Political Declaration and the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety held in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2025.