Skip to main content

UNECE promotes improved road safety in Nigeria through accession to United Nations Conventions

WHO estimates there are 35,641 road traffic fatalities in Nigeria every year, over 30 per cent of which are attributed to speed violation. Nigeria is taking action to address this urgent challenge, including through implementing its National Road Safety Strategy aiming at reducing road traffic fatalities by half in 2020. The 2015 Mid-Term Review of the African Road Safety Action Plan ranked Nigeria among top five best performing countries in Africa on road safety. Whilst progress has been made, much more needs to be done to save lives on the country’s roads.


As host to the United Nations Conventions on road safety and as part of broader efforts to improve global road safety, UNECE is supporting Nigeria to take life-saving action. Nigeria is currently a contracting party to the 1949 Convention on Road Traffic and the 1968 Convention on Road Signs and Signals.  Acceding to other United Nations international agreements on road safety would further strengthen the country’s efforts.


In support of this objective, a two-day capacity-building workshop is being held in Abuja this week, organized by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FSRC) with the participation of UNECE. The workshop will raise awareness among key stakeholders of the six key United Nations road safety conventions: the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic; the 1968 Convention on Road Signs and Signals; the 1958 and 1998 Agreements on technical vehicle regulations; the 1997 Agreement on periodic technical inspection of vehicles; and the 1957 Agreement on transport of dangerous goods by road.


The workshop will also be an opportunity to address the accession procedure for the conventions. UNECE will also facilitate a hands-on workshop the use and placement of road signs in Nigeria. The workshop will be attended by some 200 participants representing federal ministries, including the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Transport, as well as 36 states authorities engaged with road safety. 


The workshop comes as a follow up to the visit by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety to Abuja in August 2017. Earlier this week, UNECE officials met with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Gida Mustapha, to promote Nigeria’s accession to United Nations road safety conventions. Secretary Mustapha reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to addressing road safety and strengthening the nation’s road safety management system.


Recognizing Nigeria’s emerging role as a road safety champion in the region, the UNECE officials applauded the government, and in particular the FRSC’s ongoing efforts in advancing road safety.


The UNECE officials also visited the headquarters of the FRSC where they met with Corps Marshal Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi and his management team, and viewed the National Road Traffic Crash Data Management System (NACRIS). Established in 2016, NACRIS collects road crash data from all relevant stakeholders using harmonized methodologies. The UNECE officials also inspected FRSC’s signage and number plate plant at Gwagwalada. 

If you wish to subscribe to the UNECE Weekly newsletter, please send an email to:  [email protected]