YOUR WORK IS HOLY; a job to keep us alive, to protect us, to guide us in a way that many others cannot do, Bishop John Oyejola of Osogbo tells Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel.
Most Rev. Oyejola made this statement during the Osogbo FRSC awareness campaign and thanksgiving at St Benedict Cathedral, Osogbo, Osun State.
Corps Commander Anthony Oko and his assistant, Mr Martins Aluko led the team.
The bishop lamented that people die daily on our roads without much concern, as the bodies of some accident victims are left on the road to become meal for dogs. It is our collective responsibility to sustain human dignity. This was why Jesus Christ himself took human nature to show how important we are, he said.
The bishop emphasised the importance of safety in any situation since once a life is destroyed, it can never be recovered. He then advised the FRSC to work with other arms of the government to ensure that only quality tyres are sold to the public. Expired tyres, according to him, have resulted to unfortunate accidents.
Bishop Oyejola encouraged the personnel to work with the fear of God and treat people with respect and honour. God is going to ask us about how we spent our time, talent and treasure, he said.
God has given us the privilege to achieve what we are able to achieve in life. The extra treasure that God has given is to take care of others in need. He enjoined the faithful to use their time, talent and treasure to buy heaven.
Mr Oko was grateful to the Bishop and the parishioners for allowing the team to celebrate in the cathedral. He later presented a copy of the Nigerian Highway Code to the bishop.
The commander said the event was also for the remembrance of those who lost their lives on our roads. He thus urged commuters to be cautious of the vehicles they board. Check the tyres to see that they are not bad and try to have a dialogue with the driver to know if he is intoxicated or not, he said. "It is also the responsibility of commuters to caution the driver if he is over speeding or overtaking at wrong places."
Mr Oko encouraged all private vehicle owners to always ensure that all their vehicle documents are valid in order to have uninterrupted journeys.
-FRANCIS 'JIDE MAKINWA