HERF’s founder and executive director, Udanga Agom Jarigbe, said the initiative aligns with the Foundation’s mission of preventing avoidable deaths from road crashes.
By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – A non-governmental organisation, Hospital Emergency Response Foundation (HERF) has trained more than 100 members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in First Responder Stabilisation Techniques to improve emergency response to road accidents in Abuja.
The one-day training, held yesterday at Jabi Park, Abuja. was conducted with technical support from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and aimed at equipping drivers and passengers who are often first on the scene of road crashes, with the skills to stabilise victims before professional help arrives.
Participants were taught how to assess accident scenes, control bleeding, manage fractures, extricate victims from vehicles, and administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Each participant also received a stocked first aid box for real-time interventions.
Speaking on behalf of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) FCT Sector Commander, Head of Operations, Mr. Isah Nzapisma, commended HERF for its consistent efforts in strengthening public capacity to respond to emergencies.
“Road safety is everybody’s business. The knowledge you have gained today is not just for you, it is for every life you may encounter in danger on our roads. Use it well and become ambassadors for safety,” he said.
HERF’s founder and executive director, Udanga Agom Jarigbe, said the initiative aligns with the Foundation’s mission of preventing avoidable deaths from road crashes.
“We will continue to partner with transport unions, traffic management agencies and other stakeholders to reduce fatalities from road accidents. This training will be replicated across the country so that wherever a crash happens, someone nearby will know exactly what to do,” she stated.
In his remarks, an assistant director at NEMA, Mr. Labaran Ahman, urged Nigerians to prioritise offering help at accident scenes over recording videos.
“We must change the culture of being bystanders. NEMA is ready to deploy trained personnel and equipment to support rescue efforts nationwide,” he said.
HERF’s long-standing partner, Britson and Partners, has provided strategic and operational backing for the Foundation’s programmes since inception. Its Managing Partner, Mr. Winston P. Ekpotu, reaffirmed their commitment.
“Our relationship with HERF goes beyond sponsorship; it is a shared mission. From the very beginning, we have believed in the vision of building a network of trained first responders across Nigeria. This program is another important step in turning that vision into reality,” he noted.
The programme builds on HERF’s work in 2024, when over 160 FRSC officers and community volunteers were trained in advanced emergency response techniques in the FCT and along accident-prone corridors such as the Madalla–Zuba axis. According to HERF, those trainees have since played key roles in real-life rescue operations.