Northern Pulse: FRSC strengthens marshal capacity for safer roads, better service in Kaduna

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has commenced a corpswide professional repositioning training programme aimed at enhancing the capacity and competence of its marshal cadre.

The Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, mni, stated this in an address at the opening of the programme on Wednesday in Kaduna.

Mohammed, who was represented by the Zonal Commanding Officer, Kaduna Zone, Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) Abdullahi Sanusi, said the training was designed to strengthen the capacity, character and professional competence of frontline personnel.

He said the theme of the programme, “Repositioning Marshals for Effective Service Delivery,” captured the purpose and strategic direction of the initiative.

According to him, the programme is not merely another training exercise but a strategic investment in the Corps’ most valuable asset — its personnel.

“Every success we record on our highways depends largely on the knowledge, attitude, competence and professionalism of our Marshals, who remain the first and most visible point of contact between the Corps and the motoring public.

“To reposition Marshals for effective service delivery, therefore, is to strengthen the very foundation upon which our operational effectiveness and public confidence rest,” he said.

The Corps Marshal said the initiative was being implemented corpswide and would progressively cover all 12 zonal commands.

He said the first phase of the programme was being conducted at RS1HQ Kaduna and RS5HQ Benin on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, after which it would move systematically across the remaining zones.

Mohammed said the approach demonstrated the management’s commitment to ensuring that professional development, operational standards and the benefits of the repositioning exercise reached personnel across the country.

He said the Corps’ 2026 Corporate Strategic Goals placed emphasis on operational excellence, professionalism, institutional integrity, improved service delivery, digital transformation and sustained reduction in road traffic crashes.

He added that the objectives could not be achieved without a workforce that was properly trained, ethically grounded, motivated and responsive to the changing demands of road safety management.

The Corps Marshal said the training had been structured to strengthen participants’ understanding of the FRSC Establishment Act, operational procedures, traffic management, emergency response, emotional intelligence, ethical conduct and public engagement.

He urged the Marshals to see themselves not only as law enforcement operatives but also as ambassadors of the Corps.

“Every interaction with a motorist either strengthens or diminishes public confidence in our institution.

“Repositioning Marshals for effective service delivery must therefore begin with a repositioning of our mindset, attitude and approach to duty,” he said.

Mohammed urged participants to make professionalism their identity, discipline their culture, integrity their compass and service their defining hallmark.

He advised them to be firm without being oppressive, courteous without compromising enforcement, and compassionate without sacrificing professionalism.

The Corps Marshal also charged participants to ensure that the knowledge acquired during the training translated into better decisions, improved conduct and measurable results in their respective commands.

He said the repositioning exercise must not end in the classroom but should be reflected in the way personnel patrolled, enforced traffic laws, responded to emergencies and engaged with members of the public.

He said the training would also provide an opportunity to standardise operational practices across the Corps, stressing that Nigerians should encounter the same high standard of professionalism, courtesy, fairness and efficiency irrespective of where a Marshal served.

Mohammed charged facilitators and resource persons to make the programme practical, interactive and solution-oriented by sharing relevant experiences and addressing contemporary operational challenges.

He said the success of the programme would ultimately be measured by its impact on safer traffic management, effective patrol operations, improved emergency response, respect for human rights, stronger teamwork and enhanced public confidence in the Corps.

The Corps Marshal commended the Training Department for conceptualising the initiative and assured personnel that capacity development would remain a cardinal priority of the administration.

He said the Corps would continue to strengthen the knowledge, skills, character and professional competence of its personnel.

“A better-trained Marshal is a more confident Marshal; a more confident Marshal is a more effective Marshal; and an effective Marshal contributes directly to safer roads, fuller lives and greater public confidence in the Corps,” he said.

He urged participants to see the programme as an opportunity for personal renewal and professional transformation, while placing the safety and wellbeing of Nigerians at the heart of their operations.

Mohammed subsequently declared the Corpswide Professional Repositioning Training Programme for the Marshal Cadre officially open.