OYRTMA Targets Zero Road Deaths As 2026 Ember Months Campaign Begins
The Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA) has launched its 2026 Ember Months road safety campaign, targeting a significant reduction in road traffic crashes and zero fatalities across the state during the festive season and beyond.
The campaign, themed “Safe Road, Safe Life: Drive Responsibly,” was unveiled on Thursday at a media briefing held at the Oyo State Secretariat in Ibadan.
OYRTMA Chairman, Major Adekoya Adesagba (retd.), said the initiative would focus on five key areas: advocacy, enforcement, emergency response, inter-agency collaboration, and monitoring and evaluation.
He explained that the authority would intensify enforcement of traffic regulations while strengthening emergency response mechanisms through improved coordination with relevant agencies. The initiative would also introduce more effective referral and monitoring systems to enhance traffic management and road safety across the state.
Adesagba identified speeding, driving against traffic, drunk driving, overloading and the use of mobile phones while driving as major causes of road crashes, particularly during the Ember Months, when traffic volumes typically increase due to festive activities and increased travel.
He said the authority would collaborate with religious leaders across Oyo State to expand public awareness of road safety, including incorporating safety messages into sermons and other activities in places of worship.
According to him, the statewide campaign would commence on Monday, November 2, 2026, with a road walk, followed by sustained public enlightenment and sensitisation activities through January 2027.
The chairman said the decision to extend the campaign beyond the festive season was informed by the volume of return traffic passing through the state, particularly from northern parts of the country, after the celebrations.
He added that OYRTMA would work closely with the Park Management System (PMS), the Nigeria Police Force, Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) and other relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure coordinated operations and effective traffic management throughout the period.
As part of efforts to improve emergency response, Adesagba announced the activation of the state’s emergency traffic lines, 615 and 0912 888 8878, urging residents and motorists to use the numbers to report traffic emergencies, road obstructions and other related incidents.
He called on commercial drivers, private motorists and other road users to embrace the campaign’s message, stressing that achieving safer roads required the collective commitment of all stakeholders.
Adesagba urged transport operators, government agencies and members of the public to work together to ensure that the festive period was characterised by safe journeys and joyful celebrations rather than preventable road accidents and loss of lives.
Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Chairman of the Oyo State Park Management System, Alhaji Jimoh Tajudeen, who represented the state chairman, appealed to motorists, commercial drivers, transport operators and passengers to support the initiative by complying with traffic regulations and adopting responsible road practices.
Tajudeen emphasised that road safety was a shared responsibility, noting that strict adherence to traffic rules and safety measures remained essential to reducing crashes and protecting lives during the festive season.
The campaign forms part of the state’s efforts to strengthen road safety awareness, improve compliance with traffic regulations and reduce preventable road crashes during the high-traffic Ember Months period.
