PYaa-Naa Mahama Abukari, overlord of Dagbon traditional area in the Northern Region has pledged to champion the crusade against indiscipline on the road as National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) conferred on him the title, “Road Safety Goodwill Ambassador.”
The title was in recognition of Yaa-Naa’s personal interest in fighting against the indiscipline on the roads.
Officials of the NRSC conferred the title on Yaa-Naa Abukari at his palace in Yendi last Friday.
The board chairman of NRSC, Rev. Ismaila Hamilston Awudu, speaking at the ceremony stressed that the personal involvement of the king in road safety issues was encouraging and would help the NRSC realise its dream of reducing fatalities on the roads.
He was of the strong view that Yaa-Naa’s counselling of the road users on the traffic regulation would go a long way to prevent accidents on the roads.
Rev. Awudu added that the interest and commitment of Yaa-Naa would improve road safety significantly in the country.
He commended the overlord for not only ensuring peace in Dagbon, but also for consistently counselling the citizenry with messages of road safety rules and regulations.
Rev. Awudu expressed worry about the alarming rate of road accidents in the country, and said about 6,844 road traffic crashes were reported for the first half of the year, which led to 1,252 deaths and 7,043 injuries.
“The idea behind the conferment of a Road Safety Goodwill Ambassador on our noble Yaa-Naa Abukari is that, it is important to employ the voices and faces of nobility in influencing thoughts and attitudes, which will promote safer road use, leading to economic growth,” he said.
Rev. Awudu pledged that the board would do everything to support Yaa-Naa Abukari to continue his counselling on the road users on the need to observe traffic rules on the roads.
The Executive Director of the NRSC, May Obiri Yeboah, explained that the Commission was working closely with other stakeholders such as the Ghana Police Service and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to train about 13,000 drivers on accident-prone roads.
Yaa-Naa Abukari accepted the Goodwill Ambassador role and vowed to help instill discipline on the roads especially within his jurisdictional area.
He commended government, the NRSC, and other road governing bodies for their immense efforts towards ensuring the well-being of the citizenry.
Yaa-Naa assured of his readiness to support campaigns aimed at promoting road safety in the North and the country as a whole.
Residents of Dagbon, particularly Yendi, were very happy about the NRSC’s move, and pledged to support the overlord to help reduce the incidents of road accidents on the roads.
FROM YAKUBU ABDUL-MAJEED, YENDI
