The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has called for a coordinated national effort to end vehicle overloading and other unsafe loading practices, warning that the menace poses serious threats to lives, road infrastructure and Nigeria’s transportation economy.
The Corps made the call at the National Breakfast Policy Dialogue and launch of the National Movement for Safe Loading and Safe Road Use, organised in partnership with BusinessDay Media Limited.
The FRSC said the dialogue was not merely about discussing overloading but about building a national consensus and securing practical commitments towards eliminating unsafe loading practices across the country.
Speaking at the event, the Corps said the theme, “Ending Overloading: Civilising a National Commitment to Safer Roads and Responsible Transportation in Nigeria,” was timely, stressing that prevention remained at the heart of its road safety mandate.
According to the Corps, overloading is not merely a traffic violation but a road safety, infrastructure, logistics and economic development issue.
It noted that excessive loads compromise vehicle braking, steering and stability, accelerate vehicle deterioration, increase crash risks and contribute to the premature deterioration of road infrastructure.
The FRSC also raised concerns over mixed and improper loading, stressing that the danger was not limited to the weight of cargo but also extended to what was being transported, how different materials were combined, positioned and secured.
It warned that the combination of passengers and cargo, incompatible or dangerous materials, as well as poorly distributed loads, could create serious risks for drivers, passengers and other road users.
The Corps said the challenge was particularly significant in the haulage and logistics sector, where the desire to maximise every journey and reduce transportation costs could encourage unsafe practices.
It stressed that no commercial benefit or reduction in transportation costs was worth the loss of human lives, insisting that vehicles must carry only what they were designed, licensed and safely configured to carry.
The FRSC further emphasised the importance of safe transportation to Nigeria’s economy, noting that the country depended heavily on the movement of agricultural produce, raw materials, manufactured goods, fuel and other essential commodities.
It therefore argued that a safe transportation system should not be regarded as an impediment to economic development but as a foundation for national prosperity.
The Corps said the consequences of overloading were borne by different segments of society, noting that government bears the cost when roads are damaged, operators bear the cost when vehicles deteriorate, while businesses and consumers suffer when the movement of goods is delayed.
“However, when it causes a fatal crash, a Nigerian family bears the cost that money can never replace,” the Corps said.
It consequently rejected what it described as a forced choice between commercial efficiency and road safety, stressing that responsibility for preventing overloading must be shared across the entire transportation value chain.
The Corps listed cargo owners, shippers, loading agents, transporters, fleet operators, drivers, regulators and government as key stakeholders who must accept responsibility for safe transportation.
It urged cargo owners and shippers to accurately declare the weight of goods and insist on safe loading, while operators were advised to maintain their vehicles and comply with approved weight limits.
Drivers, it added, must be empowered to refuse unsafe, improperly mixed or inadequately secured loads.
The FRSC also called on regulators to strengthen coordination, weighing infrastructure, load management, data sharing and enforcement mechanisms.
The Corps said it would continue to strengthen enforcement, public education, stakeholder engagement, intelligence-led operations and the use of technology and data to improve compliance.
It said the ultimate objective was to move from reactive enforcement to proactive and preventive road safety through coordinated national action.
The FRSC stressed that the National Movement for Safe Loading and Safe Road Use must not be regarded as an exclusive FRSC initiative but should become a national movement involving government, industry, transport operators, drivers, regulators, professional bodies, civil society, development partners and the media.
The dialogue is expected to culminate in the adoption and signing of the Abuja Declaration 2026, which the Corps said must contain clear responsibilities, measurable commitments, timelines and mechanisms for monitoring progress rather than remain a ceremonial document.
It said the success of the declaration would ultimately be measured by changes on Nigerian roads, including a reduction in overloaded vehicles, accurate declaration of cargo weights, elimination of mixed and incompatible loads, improved compliance among operators, better protection of roads and reductions in crashes and fatalities.
The Corps urged stakeholders to use the dialogue as a turning point in the country’s road safety efforts.
“Our roads must carry Nigeria’s goods. They must carry our people. They must carry our economic aspirations. But they must not carry an avoidable death,” it said.
The FRSC called for collective action to end overloading and unsafe loading, stressing that such efforts would save lives, protect infrastructure and contribute to building safer roads and a stronger Nigerian economy.
