The Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority has launched its 2026 ember months campaign, targeting zero road fatalities through intensified enforcement, public enlightenment and improved emergency response during the festive season.

The campaign, themed “Safe Road, Safe Life: Drive Responsibly,” was unveiled by the OYRTMA Chairman, Maj Adekoya Adesagba (retd.), during a media briefing at the state Secretariat in Ibadan on Thursday.

Adesagba said the campaign would focus on five areas: advocacy, enforcement, emergency response, inter-agency collaboration, and monitoring and evaluation.

“The campaign was built on five strategic pillars: advocacy, enforcement, emergency response, inter-agency collaboration, and monitoring and evaluation.

“The enforcement activities will be intensified, while emergency response mechanisms will be strengthened through improved collaboration with relevant agencies and a more effective referral and monitoring system.

“Over-speeding, driving against traffic, drunk driving, overloading, and the use of mobile phones while driving as major causes of road crashes during the ember months,” noting that “these factors often contribute to the seasonal rise in traffic accidents,” he explained.

The chairman said the agency would also engage religious leaders across the state to promote road safety, with messages incorporated into sermons and other activities in places of worship.

He announced that the statewide campaign would begin on Monday, November 2, 2026, with a road walk and continue until January 2027 through sustained sensitisation and public enlightenment.

Adesagba said extending the campaign beyond the festive period was necessary because of the volume of return traffic passing through Oyo State, particularly from the northern parts of the country.

He added that OYRTMA would work with the Park Management System, the Nigeria Police Force, Vehicle Inspection Officers and other law enforcement agencies to coordinate traffic management during the period.

The chairman also announced the activation of the state’s emergency traffic lines, 615 and 0912 888 8878, urging residents to use them to report traffic emergencies, road obstructions and other related incidents.

He called on commercial drivers, private motorists and other road users to take responsibility for their safety and that of other road users.

Adesagba urged stakeholders to work together to ensure that the ember months were marked by safe journeys and festive celebrations rather than preventable road deaths.

Speaking on behalf of the state chairman of the Park Management System, the deputy chairman, Jimoh Tajudeen, urged motorists, transport operators and passengers to support the campaign by obeying traffic regulations and adopting safe road practices.

He said collective commitment to traffic rules and safety measures was essential to reducing crashes and ensuring safer journeys during the festive period.

The ember months, traditionally covering the final four months of the year, are often associated with increased travel as people journey for festive celebrations and family gatherings.

The rise in road traffic during the period makes compliance with traffic regulations, vehicle maintenance and responsible driving important measures for preventing crashes and loss of life.