Driving school offers free training to 500 persons
By Kelechi Ogunleye
The Chairman, Sardawara Matasa Mobile Driving School, Mr Samuel Pukat, says the organisation has offered free driving training to over 500 persons to reduce unemployment rate in the country.
Pukat said this at a training organised by the school in partnership with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) for 54 drivers of North-East Development Commission (NEDC) on Monday, in Abuja.
The chairman said that the organisation, since inception in 2005 till 2023 had trained both men and women from different parts of the country for free.
He said that the effort was to ensure that the youth, especially are skillfully engaged, so that they could have something doing instead of staying idle.
He, however, said that the ongoing training of the NEDC’s drivers was not for free, adding that the organisation had started to charge a token for its training beginning from 2024.
Pukat said that the aim of the school was to train citizens to be professional drivers, thereby eradicating the term “common drivers” mostly used in referring to drivers.
“It is the dawn of a new day in the profession of driving as we aim to make the profession dignified and further remove that name, ordinary driver.
“Many youths involved in kidnapping or banditry because they don’t have anything doing, as the saying goes, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop so the devil is engaging them,” he said.
The chairman urged the drivers to ensure the vision of the organisation become more realistic in ensuring a safer road and highways.
He urged the trainees to be more approachable, avoid reckless driving and hostility to passengers as the lives and safety of many lay in the hands of drivers.
“You need to leave this training with a new mentality, new personality and new heart and further embrace obeying the rules and regulations guiding driving,” Puket said.
He further said that plans were underway to engage and collaborate with other driving school owners to train more Nigerians.
One of the trainers from FRSC, RC Adebayo Agbalaya, while training the participants, cautioned them on the disadvantages associated with speeding.
He warned them over music, use of phones and other gadgets as they could lead to road accidents in seconds.
Agbalaya said that it was important to pay optimum attention, while driving as well as vigilance.
He advised drivers to avoid driving too close to other vehicles to give room for maneuvering in case of an emergency.
A representative of NEDC, Mrs Fatima Shettima, said that the training of the commission’s drivers was timely as it would help ensure professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
“We are happy that someone is looking at the capacity of drivers beyond the ordinary drivers.
“We are glad this partnership will bring more development in meeting our targets in helping the North East.
“This training will go a long way in teaching the drivers safety measures involved in driving,” Shettima said.
She encouraged the participants to display a high sense of seriousness and be focused in receiving the training and also be willing to train others.
Mr Joel Mutah, one of the participants, who said he had been a driver of the commission for eight years, said that the training would be impactful in ensuring lives were not lost on a daily basis.
Mutah, who said he had been opportune to drive cars, Hilux pickups and buses exempting articulated vehicles, would be more careful while driving.
He said that the training just like some other trainings organised by NEDC would refresh his knowledge on the dos and don’ts while driving.
“We are expected to be trained on how to avoid speeding, obedience to road signs and traffic regulations as well as ensuring the vehicles I drive are in good conditions,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Isaac Aregbesola
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