RE: Stop the carnage on our roads

I read with interest the recent editorial in Daily Trust titled “Stop the carnage on our roads” dated July 11, 2024. The editorial highlights the recent devastating road accidents in Kano State, resulting in numerous fatalities and injuries.  As a concerned citizen, I am compelled to respond; adding my voice to the urgent need for […]

I read with interest the recent editorial in Daily Trust titled “Stop the carnage on our roads” dated July 11, 2024.

The editorial highlights the recent devastating road accidents in Kano State, resulting in numerous fatalities and injuries. 

As a concerned citizen, I am compelled to respond; adding my voice to the urgent need for improved road safety in Nigeria.

The alarming tally of road accidents in Nigeria – 623 lives lost and 751 injured between January and July 1, 2024 – is quite alarming and demands immediate attention from authorities, drivers, and stakeholders. 

The accidents mentioned are a grim reminder of the dangers on our roads, affecting various regions, including Abuja-Kaduna, Oyo-Ogbomoso, Katsina-Ala-Zaki-Biam, and Owerri-Onitsha.

Moreover, the recent statement by the immediate past FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali-Biu, highlights the persistence of Nigeria’s road safety crisis, despite a 21 per cent decrease in fatalities from 6,456 in 2022 to 5,081 in 2023. 

The FRSC’s primary purpose is to prevent or minimise accidents, yet statistics suggest a failure to adequately address the issue. The corps’ “Operation zero tolerance” has not yielded the desired results, calling for reassessment and intensified efforts.

I wholeheartedly agree with the editorial’s concerns about road safety in Nigeria. Inadequate road maintenance, reckless driving, and insufficient safety measures significantly contribute to the root causes of these accidents. 

I urge the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), and other relevant stakeholders to take responsibility for their members’ actions, drive carefully, and stop mixing humans and animals in vehicles, especially heavy-duty trucks.

The FRSC and security agencies must crack down on this dangerous practice, ensure road and vehicle safety, and enforce strict compliance with road safety rules and regulations. The FRSC must reinvigorate itself to justify its purpose and lead the charge in accident prevention, as it did in its earlier years.

In conclusion, let us remember the victims and their families and resolve to act. We owe it to ourselves, our loved ones, and our fellow citizens to make our roads safer. The time for action is now.

 

Maymunah Abdulwahab, a Library Science Student of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, interns at PRNigeria Centre Abuja