Re: Nigerian Road Accidents -“New Norms” Adoption and Docility of FRSC Officers
By
Prof MK Othman
My article on Nigerian road accidents elicited strong reactions from Nigerians across all strata, as it disturbs everyone, yet nobody seems to care about the solution. Every day, people keep dying or being injured, losing property, and damaging roads due to reckless vehicle overloading, senseless overspeeding, and the use of faulty spare parts in road transport. Yet we watch helplessly, doing nothing while praying for the madness to stop, without making an effort to stop it. Those assigned to stop the madness—traffic wardens, traffic police, the road safety corps, and other security agencies—either join in or pretend not to see it, their faces green with satisfaction. I am sharing some edited reactions to give a clearer picture of the madness on our roads. I hope the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Nigeria, Alhaji Shehu Mohammed, will mobilize his men and women to address the madness. We are tired of losing lives on our roads.
Prof. Othman, thank you for this write-up. May your pen never run dry. In recent months, I have observed with fear and disgust the recklessness of drivers and the complicity of passengers.
1. Standing on the back and hanging by the side of a tricycle
2. Sitting on top of a heavily loaded vehicle.
3. Sitting on the left side of the driver.
4. Sitting in the booth of a vehicle with legs protruding beyond the vehicle.
I think it has to do with life orientation. We should use social media, TikTokers, and radio stations to run sensitization programs to educate commercial road users.
Honestly, I feel sad when we encourage recklessness and blame poverty. I once offered to pay for two passengers in the front seat, but the driver still wanted to carry someone on his left side. How much is the transport money compared to the risk involved? Broken limbs, lifelong injury, or even death.
Someone should stand at the ABU main gate and watch commercial drivers heading to Zamfara/Sokoto/Kebbi carrying 18 passengers in saloon cars, with an extra person on the left side and loads protruding from the boot at the back and, in some cases, placed on top of the vehicle. Illiteracy is at the root of it all, as educating road users may go a long way to address the issue.
Prof. Lateef Folorunso
Sensitizing road users to the harmful effects of overloading and reckless speed is essential, but the only enduring solution is formal education. No one who goes through secondary school will behave in any of the ways outlined … That is madness and recklessness of the highest order. At times, I tell such drivers, “Please drop me.”
The most painful part is that the government agency responsible for safeguarding our roads sees this overload, and does not speak up. Road safety officers in Nigeria will only act when they need money. They only fine people for driving without a driver’s license. Commercial drivers always complain that fuel is expensive, as if they haven’t raised transport fares. The worst part is when other passengers start supporting such drivers, saying fuel is expensive; there is hardship, blah blah. Illiteracy has nothing to do with it. Two things coalesce into it: economic hardship and lack of sanctions.
Sitting on the left side of the driver is called kalangu, and many people prefer it because it costs less financially. Occupying the boot of the car is called zaman palo, and many people prefer it because it costs less than the actual fare. I think we are missing one point: these abnormalities, such as overloading road-unworthy vehicles, have become the norm. For instance, whenever I’m traveling on public transport, I normally ask to pay for the front seats and sit alone. From the look of many of these drivers, you’d realize something was missing from your paying for the front seats. In many instances, the drivers would try to pick up one more passenger en route and cajole you into believing they’d just help some stranded passengers along the way.
I still recall a particular driver who, after we left Katsina, tried everything he could to add one more passenger in front that I’d already paid for. I declined. He tried to do what they call kalangu; I told him that’d only be possible if he took me back to Katsina.
Dr Hashim Muhammad
Well said. Thank you so much for the write-up, Sir. Anyone driving on a highway in Nigeria must have one or two stories to tell, and your write-up said it all. As I said, many of us have experienced it, so you don’t need to narrate our experiences. But as we normally do with your educational write-ups, the most important thing is to analyze the submission, highlight the key points, and possibly add comments. The most important thing for both drivers who use the roads on a daily basis and road marshals to understand is that FRSC was created by law, with everything captured, and anything outside it (such as the things you referred to as the new norm in your write-up, Sir) should not be condoned by either party, drivers and road marshals, out of respect and obedience to our laws and even for the sake of our safety.
We know the economic situation in our country is not something we can write home about, but health, safety, and our lives should be considered a priority above all else in this life, particularly the lives of those who have entrusted their lives to our care, that is, our passengers; hence, we must exercise the utmost care to ensure safety even in the hereafter. All the things you mentioned in your write-up, such as wearing seat belts and helmets and driving with unexpired tires, will benefit us first and then others; hence, we must adhere to them strictly. As you suggested, Sir, sensitization is key; let’s sensitize people on what is expected of us and FRSC officials, just as we do when we travel abroad, so Nigeria can be great.
Finally, establishing those mobile Courts will be key to preventing or reducing high rates of traffic rule violations and addressing the corruption FRSC officials are accused of. The duty to protect lives and property, as enshrined in our constitution, is not solely the Government’s responsibility, as many understand it; every citizen must also join hands with the Government to achieve that mandate. May the Almighty Allah see us through. Thank you once again, Sir, for always guiding the people to see the truth, say the truth, and protect the truth in whatever capacity they may find themselves. May He, the Almighty, increase the number of people of your caliber in our society. Thank you and God bless.
Barrister Mubarak Yakasai
Kudos, Sir, for an excellent write-up. The primary causes of vehicle overloading and traffic law violations by drivers are corruption, inadequate penalties, and poverty. If FRSC personnel remain corruption-free and offenders are properly sanctioned, I believe the rate of road accidents will decrease significantly. These measures should be implemented; otherwise, our population growth will decline due to increased mortality on our roads. God forbid. My take, though.
Aliyu Mohammed Karofi
