Many accidents on Ogun highways put commuters on edge

Major highways in Ogun State, especially Lagos-Ibadan expressway, are prone to crashes, claiming lives daily in the ‘Gateway State’, Daily Trust on Sunday reports. Hardly would a week pass without record of an accident on Ogun State roads, particularly the problematic Lagos-Ibadan expressway, one of the busiest and oldest roads in Nigeria. Oil theft: Minority […]

Major highways in Ogun State, especially Lagos-Ibadan expressway, are prone to crashes, claiming lives daily in the ‘Gateway State’, Daily Trust on Sunday reports.

Hardly would a week pass without record of an accident on Ogun State roads, particularly the problematic Lagos-Ibadan expressway, one of the busiest and oldest roads in Nigeria.

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The Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, a 127.6-kilometre-long (79.3 mi) expressway, passes through Ogun State, connecting Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State and Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial city. It is also the major route to the northern, southern and eastern parts of Nigeria.

In 2019, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun Command, projected that no fewer than 16 million passengers travelled on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway during the festive period.

Findings by our correspondent revealed that the highway accounts for not less than 50 percent of yearly crashes recorded on all Ogun roads. Last year’s record was 54 percent.

Also, Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, Abeokuta-Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode/Benin-Ore Abeokuta and Ota-Idiroko highways are also notorious for road crashes in the state.

An average of 1.5 million vehicles ply roads within Ogun State daily, according to the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), a state-owned traffic agency.

These roads despite their contributions to socio-economic development of the state, South West and Nigeria, have turned to death traps, due to what experts blame on deplorable conditions and human errors.

By the statistics from FRSC and TRACE, between 2014 and 2018, 1,286 persons died on Ogun roads, while 6,749 were injured. In 2019, 338 passengers died, while 176 were killed in 2020.

In 2021, over 300 lives were lost in various road accidents in the state. According to FRSC, 1,200 people were involved in the various road accidents with over 200 vehicles involved.

The agency noted that speed violation which was due to human error accounted for over 77 per cent of accidents in the state in 2021.

The FRSC also revealed that Sienna vehicles also referred to as space buses had high involvement in the crashes during the year under review.

“The year 2021 was characterised by an upsurge in Road Traffic Crashes in Ogun state,” the FRSC admitted.

Findings also revealed that the rate of involvement of trucks and articulated vehicles in road crashes, especially along Lagos – Ibadan expressway was alarming and they contribute to the increased number of crashes.

At least 441 trucks and articulated vehicles were among the 1,324 vehicles involved in road accidents last year.

In November last year, 15 lives were lost on Lagos-Ibadan expressway within 48 hours, prompting the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, to summon the Federal Controller of Works, Engr. Umar Bakare, and the representatives of the contractor handling the reconstruction of the expressway.

The governor blamed the contractor handling the Lagos-Ibadan expressway reconstruction work for failure to provide safety signs on the road “which had in recent times led to the unfortunate but preventable loss of lives and carnage of the country’s busiest route.”

And this year alone, Daily Trust on Sunday investigation revealed that more than 50 lives have been claimed on Ogun roads.

No fewer than 43 road accidents were reported in July, as analysis has shown. The accidents claimed 14 lives while 109 persons sustained varying degrees of injury.

In a report released on July 14 by the Sector Commander of the FRSC, Ahmed Umar, there were 41 road crashes between July 6 and July 13.

Umar stated that seven people died and 100 were injured in 41 road crashes involving 71 vehicles during the Eid celebration period. 

‘Nigh travels, speeding’ 

Umar told Daily Trust on Sunday that overspeeding and night travels are responsible for most accidents on Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

While describing the highway as “problematic,” the FRSC boss expressed worry that despite the fact that the road is 80 percent completed, there are records of frequent crashes.

“The most problematic side of the road crashes in Ogun State is the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and considering the fact that it’s more than 80 per cent completed, yet we record high frequent of crashes, it leaves a lot of questions to be asked,” he said.

Umar noted that “Ideally, it should not be like that but because of speed, that is why crashes are occurring like that. Crashes that occur on high speed can result into fatalities. Out of all the crashes that occur in Ogun State every year, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway takes more than 50 per cent. Last year, we recorded 54 per cent. And speeding has been identified as the most frequent causative factor of those crashes.

“Secondly, out of all those crashes occurring on that corridor, more than 80 per cent occur during the night. Either 6pm or very early in the morning. Usually at that period, we are not actively on the road for patrol, though we are always on standby for any emergency that occurs.”

He, however, added that “We are making efforts to synergize with other security agencies to work in the night towards the mitigation of those night crashes.”

Umar had hinted that the agency apprehended no fewer than 4,000 offenders for speed limit device violations in Ogun in 2021.

He noted that over speeding had been identified as one of the leading factors causing accidents on the roads, saying the Corps would not rest on its oars to sustain the enforcement of speed limit devices. 

‘Vehicles conveying younger passengers largely prone to accidents’

The State Secretary of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Tiwalade Akingbade, told our correspondent that younger passengers contributed mostly to high number of crashes on the road, saying “they are always in a hurry.”

“Also, demography has shown that attitude of the commuters/passengers also contribute to road accidents. Our demography shows that a commercial vehicle carrying younger passengers has tendencies to be involved in a road crash than the one carrying older people. Younger passengers are always in a hurry.

“So, passengers should stop this attitude of asking drivers to speed up during a trip. We should always be cautious,” Akingbade said. 

Expert blames ‘compromised’ traffic officers

An expert in transportation administration and pioneer Vice Chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, Prof Kayode Oyesiku, blamed frequent crashes on the highways on non-clearly delineated instructions for road users in the areas where constructions are going on and non-enforcement of road traffic laws.

Oyesiku, a professor of Urban and Regional Planning, also said some traffic officers have compromised enforcement of regulations on the roads.

“Going by researches conducted in the last 12 years or so, particularly since intensive commencement of construction activities along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, there are three issues involved.

“One, the major cause, is non-clearly delineated instructions for road users in the areas where the constructions are going on. Associated with this is indiscriminate parking of construction plants on this same highway without any indication, particularly at night. And that makes a number of vehicles just run into it on sudden realization of the incident.

“The second aspect of the causes of the accidents, are non-enforcement of clearly-delineated road traffic laws. They are certain limit of speeds, but in the recent past, maybe the last five years or so, motorists at a very clear view of the road just start to race. Many highways, especially the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, have been turned into a race track.”

Oyesiku, however, described the socio-economic effects of accidents as “spiral,” saying more families have lost their breadwinners to road crashes.

He said “There are loss of lives which are irreplaceable. A number of people who lose their lives are also breadwinners, and a loss of life of a breadwinner is a loss of life for the family. It throws them into disaster and pandemonium on how to survive.

“Also, a loss of life of a well-developed individual by the state is also a loss to the society. People who are actually involved in this are usually between 22 and 45 years which is at the prime of their life activities. The state loses greatly when lives are lost. The second dimension to this is, accident also causes traffic congestion. During the point of evacuation, traffic is actually slowed down or stuck for hours. This has its own implication, you have loss of money, you also lose time meant for business and other activities.

“Congestion itself has a repercussion on the road because you have drop of fuel and water, affecting the asphalt laid on those particular roads. This particular aspect increases the cost of the road maintenance. It’s a chain effect…”

Oyesiku called on road traffic officers to be alive to their responsibilities by implementing regulations conscientiously.

“Enforcement has become zero. You will see our officers, most of them highly trained, but rather than doing this job conscientiously and effectively, they are involved in sharp practices. And the drivers too directly or indirectly connive with these particular people in order not to obey simple traffic regulations. Therefore, the compromise is well established and it does not allow proper enforcement and everyone does whatever he or she likes on the road.”