Red Cross Constructs ZEBRA CROSSING To Reduce Killings Of School Children

          The Nigerian Red Cross (NRC) in Plateau State yesterday constructed ZEBRA CROSSING along Tafawa Belewa Street, Jos to reduce the speed of vehicles that had hitherto claimed lives of innocent students and pupils in their attempts to cross the road to their schools.

          That area, close to the motor park of long distance travelling heavy duty luxury buses, is one that has a large concentration of schools which include, National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna (Jos Centre), Government Secondary School Township, Tenderfoot Private School, Township Pilot Primary Science School among others.

          The schools are also surrounded by business centres which make the road very busy while the motorists drive with reckless abandon thereby knocking down school children.

          The NRC backed by the Federal Road Safety Corps of Nigeria (FRSCN), seized yesterday’s opportunity as the monthly environmental sanitation day when there was no movement of persons and vehicles to construct the zebra crossing.

          After the construction of the barrier, Branch Secretary of NRC, Mr. Manasseh Pampe, spoke with The Guardian on what actually informed their decision to mount the zebra – crossing on the busy way.

          According to Pampe, “the Nigerian Red Cross Society is a humanitarian voluntary organisation that looks at the host communities. We are a community based organisation. So, we look within our communities and work for the betterment of those communities.

          “What really informed this is our sensitivity to humanity. Children are always here for these schools. We observed with time and discussed with the authorities of the schools that children are always affected by running vehicles who are careless, in a hurry, not really minding the little children that are using this road to cross to their schools.”

          Sympathising with the children who, for quite some time, have been hit by running vehicles, he said the organisation felt that the dangerous trend should not continue, adding that they should contribute in their own little way to reduce the incidents and make the children safe and secure on the high way.

          The Branch Secretary who said that even if there was a record to show the number of times vehicles had crushed children on the road, added that it would not be proper for public consumption because of people’s different interpretations, stressing that they prefer to keep it to their chest.

          On the cost of the whole project, he said that although it might not be exact, it would not be less than N150,000 which was contributed by members of the red cross and other spirited individuals who, he said, saw the need and its importance.

          Pamper, in an answer to a question, stressed that, “we don’t need law – enforcement agencies to be policing us around to obey simple rules. This has been observed in our culture that people need to be forced to sweep their surroundings, people need to be forced to drive carefully on the highways.

          “I am really appealing to the general public that we have reached a certain stage in life that we should be more responsible, that we don’t need anybody to really force us to do the right things.

          “If we are looking at just an individual or a single institution to say, this is going to bring change in our society, it will just be an effort in futility. So, I appeal to the general public that we should take responsibility as individuals that when we know the right things, we don’t need anybody to pursue us to do the right things. We know the right thing, we should do it and our communities, our states and our country will be a better place for us.”