The FIA Foundation’s Executive Director, Saul Billingsley, delivered the annual lecture at the Federal Road Safety Corps’ flagship event in Abuja, Nigeria.

The lecture, held in the Presidential complex on 3rd September 2025,  was chaired by the Vice President of Nigeria, H.E. Kashim Shettima, and was also attended by the Secretary to the Government (First Minister) H.E. George Akume and the Minister of Transportation, Sa'idu Ahmed Alkali. Shehu Mohammed, Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Nigeria’s lead agency for road safety, extended the invitation to the FIA Foundation. Following the lecture former Corps Marshal Osita Chidoka chaired a panel discussion including senior representatives from government ministries, the Chiefs of Defence Staff, the Supreme Court and the Nigeria Bar Association.  

Speaking on road safety management and global partnership, Saul Billingsley discussed the value of an ethical approach to road safety which prioritises the needs of the most vulnerable, and highlighted examples of regional collaboration in Africa in infrastructure and motorcycle safety:

“Across the world, the countries which achieve the best road safety performance are those which adopt a version of the Safe System approach, even if they haven’t explicitly embraced the goal of Vision Zero. Focusing on the way the road system is designed and operated, rather than taking the traditional approach of solely blaming road users for their misbehaviour, reaps dividends. It restores responsibility and accountability to where it belongs.

People often focus on the technical elements of the Safe System and forget the ethical dimension. But for the architects of Vision Zero, ethics were at the heart of the argument. The Tylosand Declaration, sponsored by the Swedish Government in 2008 and endorsed by many road safety experts, states: “Everyone has the right to use roads and streets without threats to life or health”. This is not some esoteric Scandinavian opinion. In the Declaration of the Marrakech Ministerial Conference last February, signatories, including ministers from across the world, agreed to: “…recognize the right of every individual to mobility options that are safe, accessible, and sustainable”.

So, if we are to successfully tackle road danger we must begin from the premise of rights. And get right the balance of rights.”

In his address Vice President Shettima praised the Lecture Series as a tool for domestic policy accountability and keeping pace with international best practice. He said: “The FIA Foundation has been a frontline partner and its strategic interventions in road safety have contributed significantly to reducing crashes and fatalities worldwide. This partnership reminds us that road safety is a global obligation, one that requires collective innovation and resolve.”

Alongside the lecture, Saul Billingsley paid courtesy visits to Secretary to the Government Akume and Minister Alkali and visited FRSC headquarters to see the Corps’ operations and exchange with Corps Marshal Mohammed and his senior team. The visit was facilitated by the FRSC and the Automobile & Touring Club of Nigeria, represented by its president, Ishaku Bamaiyi.