THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has called on the Federal Road Safety Corps and other relevant agencies to rise up to their mandate of keeping the nation’s roads safe by keeping smoky vehicles that exceed the approved emissions limit off the road.

Ndu Ughamadu,  Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, made the call Tuesday when the colleagues of an NNPC staff who died in a road crash visited him to register their pain.

Stating the reason for the call, the NNPC spokesman said the loss of Dewari Aye, a staff of the Career Development and Appraisal Unit of the Group Human Resources Division, in a road crash along the Kubwa-Abuja Expressway on Monday evening was caused by a truck that was emitting thick smoke that impeded vision of road users.

“Apart from the environmental hazard caused by these trucks that belch thick smoke from their exhaust, the smoke impedes the vision of other road users as was the case with our colleague who was reported to have run into the truck and died”, he explained.

He said the untimely death of Mr. Aye and others who had died in similar circumstances would have been averted if the FRSC and the Directorate of Motor Vehicle Administration were alive to their duties by impounding smoky vehicles that constitute a safety hazard on the roads.

He conveyed the condolences of Mele Kyari, group managing director of the corporation, to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased staff, describing him as a very hardworking and dedicated staff who will be missed.