Dr Boboye Oyeyemi will officially step down as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Monday, July 25 after serving for eight years (two terms) and already, some activities have been lined up to mark his departure in the next one week with the traditional pull-out parade in Abuja on Monday as he is also expected to deliver a lecture on Thursday, July 21.
Gatekeepers News reports that Oyeyemi who was among the pioneer staff of the FRSC was first appointed by Goodluck Jonathan in July, 2014 and reappointed for another four years by President Muhammadu Buhari in July, 2018.
Oyeyemi’s epitome of brilliance and vision have moved the road safety agency to new heights, evidently from the tremendous energies he deployed to uphold the vision of FRSC which is “To Eradicate Road Traffic Crashes and Create a Safe Motoring Environment.” Beyond the vision, Oyeyemi worked towards reducing road crashes to the bearable minimum and achieving zero death in road crashes across the country through the FRSC Mission which is “To Regulate, Enforce and Coordinate all Road Traffic and Safety Management Activities.”
Founded 34 years ago (February 1988), FRSC recorded a significant drop in the number of road traffic crashes from 28,215 in 1987 to 13,027 as of 2021, a 54 percent reduction under Oyeyemi’s supervision.
Oyeyemi’s untiring and ingenious efforts brought about the deployment of body and vehicle cameras for officers, the establishment of a control room for operations and the efforts toward the introduction of digital driver’s license to curb theft and other related crimes, among others, the Corps Marshal ensured a transformation of the agency for better.
It is also gladdening to note that FRSC, under Oyeyemi, became one of the few public service organisations in Nigeria to attain ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2013 and upgraded to ISO 9001:2015 in 2019. In line with its commitment to continually improving its mode of operation, the corps was in January, 2022, re-certified on ISO 9001:2015.
Under the outgoing Corps Marshal, FRSC championed the establishment of the West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO), activated volunteerism in road safety administration which led to corps being supported by about 15,000 volunteer Special Marshals, excluding other variants such as Celebrity and Honorary Special Marshals.
He also ensure the corps successfully sought for the infusion of Road Safety studies in the curricula of primary and post-primary schools in Nigeria.
Similarly, FRSC also introduced the concept of Road Safety Clubs in Primary and Secondary schools with over160,000 members nationwide, as well as among members of the National Youth Service Corps.
The corps, with the support of the federal and some state governments, Nigerian Road Safety Partnership (NRSP), International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), local and international donor agencies and individuals, improved on its critical infrastructure and operational equipment.
Oyeyemi is trained vastly in law enforcement and general administration within and outside the country, including the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Nigeria and Harvard University, School of Government, United States as well as Royal Institute for Public Administration in the United Kingdom.
He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and Fellows and member of 17 professional bodies including Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, London; Nigeria Institute of Management; Chartered Institute of Administration and Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.
In recognition of his immense contribution to the development of Nigeria in the field of engineering and road safety management, Oyeyemi was awarded the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR, in 2006; and in 2016, he received the National Productivity Order of Merit Award, NPoM, in testimony to the contribution he has made to national productivity in Nigeria. He holds a doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Other awards and honours bestowed on him include Corps Marshal and Chief Executive Award; Certified Distinguished Administrator Award, Institute of Corporate Administration; American Medal of Honour, American Biographical Institute, USA; Man of the Year Award, American Biographical Institute, USA; and Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
Oyeyemi is also a researcher and publisher. He has published three books in his profession namely, Productivity in Road Traffic Administration: Issues, Strategies, and Impediments; Strands in Road Traffic Administration in Nigeria and Road Signs and Safety Management in Nigeria. He has also published strong and well-researched road safety-related articles in reputable international journals.
He began his career from the rank of a superintendent Route Commander (SRC) and rose rapidly through the ranks and became the Corps Marshall on July 23, 2014; thus, becoming the first officer to rise to that position from within the organisation.
Oyeyemi served in various capacities in the Corps, including; O/C Comm. Corps Marshal’s Office, FRSC National Headquarters; Zonal Commanding Officer, RS2HQ Lagos; Area Commander (Plant & Production) NULS Lagos Plant; Principal Commander (Plant & Production) NULS Lagos Plant; Zonal Commanding Officer, RS10HQ Sokoto; Deputy Director, RSHQ Operations; and Ag. Director Operations, RSHQ.
