As the festive season peaks, a critical safety campaign has hit the roads of Abia State. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in a strategic partnership with the Abia State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), officially launched ‘Operation Eagle Eye’ in Umuahia on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. This initiative represents a proactive, multi-agency effort to combat the seasonal surge in road traffic accidents during the Christmas and New Year travel period.
Mr. Nnamdi Igwe, Head of NEMA’s Owerri Operations Office covering Imo and Abia, outlined the operation’s core mission. “This is a special exercise designed to sensitise motorists and commuters on the ever-present dangers of speed and reckless driving,” he stated. The campaign goes beyond mere warnings; it is an integrated emergency response deployment. [[PEAI_MEDIA_X]]
Beyond Awareness: A Coordinated Emergency Response
What sets ‘Operation Eagle Eye’ apart from typical safety campaigns is its operational readiness. NEMA and SEMA are not working in isolation. They have mobilized a coalition of critical stakeholders, including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Red Cross Society of Nigeria. This collaboration ensures a comprehensive approach: prevention through education and enforcement, coupled with immediate response capability.
“We came with an ambulance fully equipped for any emergency,” Igwe emphasized. “We also have Red Cross personnel, who are tasked with providing initial first aid before transporting the injured to hospital.” This on-the-ground medical support is crucial, as the ‘golden hour’ after a crash often determines survival rates and long-term outcomes for victims.
The State’s Role and Campaign Scope
Dr. Sunday Jackson, Executive Secretary of Abia SEMA, highlighted the state government’s pivotal support. He commended Governor Alex Otti for providing the enabling environment and resources for the exercise. This top-level backing is essential for mobilizing resources and ensuring inter-agency cooperation. The operation, launched in Abia, is scheduled to extend to neighboring Imo State on Friday and will run continuously until January 3, 2026, covering the most hazardous travel days of the season.
Practical Messaging for Public Engagement
The campaign employs direct, grassroots engagement to drive its message home. Teams distributed leaflets at motor parks and busy traffic junctions across Umuahia. The inscriptions on these materials were crafted for maximum impact and recall:
• “Slow down – arrive alive”
• “Speed kills, drive with limit”
• “Stay alert – accident hurts”
• “Seatbelt saves lives”
• “Better late than never”
These slogans target specific, high-risk behaviors: speeding, distraction, and the non-use of seatbelts. [[PEAI_MEDIA_X]]
Context: Why Festive Period Campaigns Are Critical
Operations like ‘Eagle Eye’ are vital because statistical trends consistently show a spike in road crashes during festive periods in Nigeria. Factors contributing to this include increased traffic volume, driver fatigue from long journeys, night travel, impaired driving from alcohol consumption, and heightened pressure to meet social obligations. Campaigns that combine visibility, education, and ready emergency services serve as a crucial countermeasure to these seasonal risks, aiming to transform the holidays from a period of dread on the roads to one of celebrated safety.
By deploying a visible, equipped presence and disseminating clear safety messages, NEMA and SEMA’s ‘Operation Eagle Eye’ aims to foster a culture of caution among road users. Its success will ultimately be measured not just in leaflets distributed, but in lives preserved and families kept whole throughout the Yuletide season and beyond.
Reported by Leonard Okachie for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Edited by Sam Oditah.
