Truck drivers

By Aisar Fagge

The Dangote Articulated Truck Driving School has graduated 50 Special Truck Drivers on weekend.

It was gathered that ten of the drivers were women and trained on Defensive Driving for three months.

A statement signed by the spokesman of the Dangote Group, Mr. Anthony Chiejina, and made available to journalists on Monday, disclosed.

The statement qouted Mr. Ajay Singh, the Divisional Director of the Dangote Cement Plc, Transport section, Obajana Plant, Kogi State, to have said that the Articulated Driving School was aimed at taming the tide of auto crash in Nigeria.

Singh who spoke during the graduation ceremony added that “The company has a zero tolerance for auto crash, which informed the setting up of different programmes, in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

“Head of Human Resources, Mr. Azeez Adeniyi said the Dangote Articulated Truck Driving School, is unique, being the first of its kind in the history of Nigeria,” he stated.

The statement further added that “He (Singh) urged the graduates to maximize the advantages from the training, adding that it was a rare and golden opportunity to have passed through the school.

“The school manager, Mr. Daniel Marcus Akuso, said some of the courses offered for the Batch A include: Civic Education, English, Mathematics, Defensive Driving, Truck Handling, Maintenance Technology, DCT Administration Procedures, Root Cause Analysis, Health and Science, Road Signs and Codes.

“Mr. Akuso said the graduates will now undertake a six-month attachment to enable them to acquire practical experience.

“Speaking, Deputy Road Commandant, (OC Instructor) of the FRSC attached to Dangote Driving School, Engr Mukhtar Umar said his agency plays a significant role in the training and certification of old drivers and newly recruited trainees.

“We teach them defensive driving, road signs, responsibilities of the driver, driving culture, and then certify them. These are Special Drivers,” Engr Umar said.

“Representative of Fantique Driving Centre, South Africa, Mr. Jacques Van Heerden, said the graduates were trained on defensive driving, assuring that if they abide by the lessons learned from the courses, it will help Nigeria in reducing the menace of auto crash.

“On his part, Col Ravig Kumar, Chief General Manager, Maintenance Department, expressed optimism that the female drivers, especially, will make Nigeria proud, while urging them not to disappoint the company, wherever they may find themselves.

“Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Mr. Ajayi Kehinde Daniel, said: “We are not just drivers, but defensive drivers. Throughout this period of training, we have been exposed to the causes of road accidents, and how to avoid them. Some of these causes, if not all, are actually avoidable.”

“Also present at the Graduation Ceremony were: Head of Department, Post Trip Inspection(PTI), Mr. Charles Theophilus, Head of Control, Mr. Suresh Ramamoorthy, Col Hemant Rana, as well as other members of the Fantique Training Centre of South Africa: Pieter Momberg and Anton Schenk,” the statement added.

By Aisar Fagge

About fifty trainees graduated from the Dangote Articulated Truck Driving School. The effort was to minimize the rate of auto crashes involving its drivers and other road users in the country.

The trainees who celebrated the success amidst joy have passed through a specially designed and rigorous educational curriculum, said the Divisional Director Transport (DDT), Mr Ajay Singh.

Mr Singh, who spoke at the graduation ceremony, said the trainees would now be exposed to practicals through attachments for an additional six months.

The Daily Reality gathered that the school at Obajana is one of its kind, having been the only accredited truck driving academy in Nigeria.

It was learned that the school was commissioned last year by the former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Olayemi Oyeyemi.

The effort was to bring solutions to the menacing issue of auto crashes involving articulated trucks in Nigeria.

Mr Singh said that the school would not only bring down the rate of crashes involving articulated vehicles but also positively impact other drivers.

He was quoted as saying, “The ultimate objective was to achieve zero accidents for all subsidiaries in the Dangote Group.

Also speaking, Mr Daniel Marcus Akuso said the intensive training was carried out in collaboration with the FRSC and Fantique Driving Training Centre of South Africa.

According to the Manager of the school, the three months training programme has been a big success and changed the orientation of the trainees.

He said, “This is the only articulated truck driving school in Nigeria where the students are paid stipends, trained, tested, certified, licensed, and employed. Our products are not only for Dangote Cement but for all subsidiaries of the Dangote Group in Africa.”