The Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA) has launched its 2026 ember months safety campaign, warning motorists against reckless driving, speeding, overloading and other traffic violations capable of causing fatal accidents during the festive season.
The campaign, themed “Safe Road, Safe Life: Drive Responsibly During These Ember Months,” was flagged off at the authority’s headquarters at the State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, with a statewide sensitisation drive targeting motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users.
Speaking at the event, OYRTMA Executive Chairman, Major Adekoya Adesagba (retd.), said increased vehicular movement, driver impatience and the rush associated with end-of-year celebrations often heightened the risk of road crashes during the ember months.
He urged motorists to prioritise safety, stressing that compliance with traffic regulations was primarily intended to protect lives rather than satisfy enforcement authorities.
“The ember months are characterised by increased vehicular movement, impatience, and rush. I want to appeal to all road users that no journey is worth your life. Obedience to traffic rules is not for OYRTMA; it is for your own safety,” Adekoya said.
The chairman specifically warned against running red lights, driving against traffic, overloading vehicles and driving under the influence of alcohol.
He also appealed to commercial drivers to resist the temptation to maximise daily earnings at the expense of passengers’ safety.
“Do not drink and drive. Do not overload your vehicles. Ensure your vehicle is roadworthy and in good mechanical condition. If you are fatigued, please pull over and rest. We want every road user to arrive home safely to their families,” he said.
The campaign forms part of OYRTMA’s broader strategy to reduce road traffic crashes and achieve zero fatalities across Oyo State during the festive period.
The authority had earlier outlined a decentralised approach built around advocacy, enforcement, emergency response, inter-agency collaboration, and monitoring and evaluation. The initiative is also designed to extend road safety awareness beyond Ibadan to communities across the state’s 16 zonal commands.
As part of the public enlightenment exercise, OYRTMA conducted an awareness rally across major transportation corridors and commercial centres in Ibadan.
The areas covered included Agodi, Mokola, Ojoo, Iwo Road, Dugbe, Eleyele, Ona-Ara, Mapo, Egbeda, Akobo, Olodo and Akinyele.
The authority also extended its sensitisation activities to other parts of the state, including Ogbomoso, Oyo, Eruwa, Saki and Iseyin.
In a move to deepen community participation, the agency engaged religious institutions, taking road safety messages to central mosques during Friday Jumat prayers and churches during Sunday worship services.
The initiative is intended to use religious leaders and faith-based communities to reinforce responsible driving habits and encourage motorists to treat road safety as a collective responsibility.
OYRTMA had also announced plans to sustain the campaign beyond the immediate festive period, with statewide sensitisation scheduled to continue until January 2027.
The extension is intended to address increased return journeys after the Christmas and New Year celebrations, particularly traffic passing through Oyo State from northern parts of the country.
The Federal Road Safety Corps has similarly identified the ember months as a period requiring heightened road safety awareness because of increased travel, commercial activities and festivities.
Its road safety advisories regularly warn against speeding, dangerous overtaking, drunk driving, fatigue and poor vehicle maintenance.
Adekoya assured residents that enforcement and public enlightenment activities would continue throughout the campaign.
He expressed optimism that cooperation from motorists, transport operators and other road users would significantly reduce traffic-related casualties.
The chairman reiterated that the authority remained committed to protecting lives and property while ensuring safer journeys across Oyo State during the festive season.
