Statistics in Upper East Region
It would be recalled that this website published a report that stated that statistics available to the Roads Safety Authority in the Upper East Region indicate that about 22 people lost their lives through road crashes between January and July 2022.
The Upper East Regional Assistant Manager of the Ghana Road Safety Authority (NSRA), Seth Wiredu said out of the 22 fatalities, 20 were males while the two were females; a situation the Authority describes as worrying.
Mr. Wiredu attributed the continued increasing numbers of road crashes in the region and the country as a whole to human attitude on the roads.
In an earlier conversation, the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) encouraged members of the public to be ambassadors for road safety. The Upper East Regional Assistant Planning Officer of NRSA Seth Wiredu stated that if motorists and pedestrians alike adhere to all road traffic regulations, it will reduce the instances of road accidents on the road.
Voluntary Service; the one-man road safety campaigner
Heeding the call for all to be road safety ambassadors, Francis Enyan has taken up the cross and is pushing the agenda of road safety in the Upper East Region.
For road users who use the Bolgatanga-Tamale highway, it may be difficult to miss one man who stands at the Zamse Senior High Technical School junction holding a dual-lingual placard that reads, “Me Nua Please Drive Alive!” These same words are written in French.
Francis Enyan drives one of the many OA buses that move from Bolgatanga to Accra. While he is not away in Accra or travelling, Francis, around 3pm, comes to the junctions and holds up the placard for about 3 hours.
His aim is simple; to draw the attention of road users that their lives are precious and thus, they must drive and ride with caution.
Me Nua’s Motivation
For ‘Me Nua’, as Francis is affectionately called, the motivation to start the initiative began in October 2021 while he was driving from Kumasi.
Seeing so much carnage on the roads after driving for so many years, Francis explains that drivers continually need to be reminded about the need to drive safely; particularly, the long buses that are used for inter-regional travel.
His motivation to stand in the sun and rain is intrinsic. The gentle bow of the head of drivers and riders who pass and acknowledge that they have seen what he holds up is gives him all the satisfaction that he needs.
Remuneration
Francis is not being paid by any organization or individual. He personally funds his own activities and pays for designs, stickers and banners that are used in the campaign.
What he considers a return on his investment is that people arrive alive.
Francis has banners alerting drivers in Accra; at Circle and St. Johns overhead. He also has banners in Sunyani around the Tech junction and Bolgatanga around BOST.
Appeal
Francis does not want to be paid. In fact, he insisted that he is not doing this for money. Francis has just one big appeal: all drivers and riders must use the road with caution.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Gerard Awombadek Asagi|Ghana
