Edo traffic management training takes off

Edo traffic management training takes off

The Final training for prospective officers of the Edo State Traffic Control and Management Agency has commenced in Benin City, the Edo State capital, with facilitators drawn from various states and fields of practice.

The one-week long training exercise which started from Wednesday 21 June to climax Wednesday 28 June, is expected to engage prospective officers of the agency in a series of thorough teachings to include traffic control and enforcement, public enlightenment and education, road research and statistics, drivers’ training and recertification, traffic safety and accident management, pedestrians’ safety as well as safeguarding children in control zones.

It would be recalled that Edo state Government had in the past weeks kick-started the recruitment process into the agency with the screening and verification of documents, biological and physical fitness test as well as conducted aptitude test for about 500 persons from which 350 prospective officers emerged.

In an interview with newsmen, the Managing Director the Edo State Traffic Control and Management Agency, Mr Dennis Oloregbe, said the essence of the rigorous training exercise was to ensure that the would-be officers got it right from the beginning to avoid the uncivilized approach of the last officers of the agency before they were disbanded.

While expressing confidence in the outcome of the recruitment process, Mr Oloregbe noted that the attendance and show of commitment of facilitators from Abuja, LASTMA, FRSC, and police sharing practical experiences  with the  prospective officers, Edo would be exact replica, if not better, of the organised traffic system of its sister state, Lagos.

“We have a total of 350 persons presently on ground after undergoing the various stages of the screening process and we are going to train them on everything starting from the functions of EDSTMA, modern traffic techniques, defensive driving, road signs, apprehensive processes, enforcement processes, and how to comport themselves and human relations. After the final exams we will get the first 300 we are going to start with.

"The remaining ones will be on our database so that from time to time we will be getting to them and when we start going to other zones outside Benin we will be moving them there. In any case, no one will be left out among all the people we train. Traffic management is a bit tedious so we want people who can stand and work for us.”

Commenting on the mode of training, the traffic control and management boss said facilitators on ground would see to it that the prospective officers were properly trained and drilled in endurance exercise for optimum performance.



According to him, “what we did today was registration processes to screen all the candidates. A lot of people were still coming even when they failed the initial test. So, we had to sieve them out. These are the people that are qualified. By tomorrow in the morning we are going to start with field programmes – physical drill, twarkando, road run, and others. On the same day the lawyers and doctors will teach them health matter, how to comport themselves, the rule, the law and the traffic. By evening they will be back to field for parades”.

He further explained that the training would be off campus “so we don't disturb learning process and it is a complete and holistic process of training. By Saturday we will have a 13km road walk. This will run till Wednesday next week”.

#ProjectEdo