Management of the Dangote Cement Plc says it has started installing cameras in its CNG trucks after rising complaints about reckless driving by its drivers.
The company added that it is also tightening recruitment, demanding stricter checks on age, experience, medical fitness and criminal records.
The move comes after a string of horrific crashes, including one that left Ruth Otabor, sister of Big Brother Naija winner Phyna, with an amputated leg.
Public anger is mounting, with calls for tougher oversight of Dangote’s fleet.
Head of Transport at the Dangote Cement company, Murilo Silva said the company is enforcing new requirements for drivers.
Applicants must be at least 23 years old, have a minimum of five years’ driving experience, and hold a valid Class G license. They must also pass medical checks, drug and alcohol tests, and background screening.
“No driver is employed without a clean record,” Silva said at the company’s Obajana plant in Kogi State.
He added that drivers undergo regular recertification at the Dangote Articulated Truck Drivers Training School in partnership with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Silva said participation in monthly training has grown by 60 per cent this year. Drug and alcohol testing has risen by 40 per cent, while pre-trip inspections now stand at 74 per cent.
Divisional head of transport Hemant Rana said the company now operates a control system to track drivers on trips and a help desk to monitor their welfare on the road.
Manager of the training school, Daniel Marcus Akuso, said it is the first of its kind in Nigeria. Courses include defensive driving, truck handling, maintenance, civic education, and road signs.
Group managing director Arvind Pathak said 1,500 drivers had recently undergone intensive screening to confirm their physical and mental fitness.
Despite the measures, complaints against Dangote drivers have continued.
Many road users accuse them of recklessness, while reports alleged that some hand over their trucks to untrained assistants known as “motorboys.”
Others are said to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The anger grew louder this month after a truck linked to the company knocked down Ruth near Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State.
Ruth, who had just graduated six days earlier, lost her leg in the crash. Eyewitnesses said the truck was eventually stopped by a bystander after it crushed her.