The Authentic Traffic Management and Accident Prevention Initiatives (ATMAPI) is set to roll out a nationwide road safety education campaign targeting secondary schools across Nigeria. The initiative, titled “Safe Youth, Safe Roads,” aims to sensitize and equip young Nigerians with essential knowledge about road safety, traffic discipline, and emergency response awareness.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the Executive Director of ATMAPI, Idoga Innocent, emphasized that early education is critical to instilling a lifelong culture of safe road use.
“By engaging students at an early age, we are nurturing a generation of responsible road users and future leaders who understand the value of life and public safety,” he stated.
The campaign will kick off in pilot states across the six geo-political zones, beginning with Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano, Rivers, and Plateau. Activities will include:
-
Interactive workshops and safety talks in schools
-
Distribution of educational materials (reflective vests, safety booklets, traffic sign charts)
-
On-campus demonstrations of proper road crossing techniques and emergency response
-
Road Safety Clubs to be established and coordinated by trained ATMAPI personnel
The program is expected to reach over 100,000 students within the first six months and will be conducted in partnership with the Ministries of Education, Transport, and Youth Development, alongside selected NGOs and community leaders.
ATMAPI believes this campaign will not only reduce pedestrian-related accidents involving schoolchildren but also foster community-based road safety advocates who will spread awareness within their families and neighborhoods.
“We are not just preventing accidents; we’re creating a cultural shift in how Nigerians—starting from our youth—engage with our roads,” said one of ATMAPI’s national training coordinators.