NIGERIAN ROAD ACCIDENTS: THE ADOPTION OF “NEW NORMS” AND THE DOCILITY OF FRSC OFFICERS
By Prof. MK Othman
My recent article on road accidents in Nigeria elicited strong reactions from Nigerians across all social strata. It is an issue that disturbs everyone, yet no one seems committed to finding a solution.
Every day, lives are lost, people are injured, property is destroyed, and roads are damaged due to reckless overloading, senseless overspeeding, and the use of substandard spare parts. Yet we watch helplessly, doing nothing while praying for this madness to stop, without making any effort to stop it. Those statutorily assigned to stop it — traffic wardens, traffic police, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and other security agencies — either join in the illegality or pretend not to see it.
I am sharing some edited reactions from readers to give a clearer picture of the madness on our roads. I hope the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Alhaji Shehu Mohammed, will mobilize his officers to address this anomaly. We are tired of losing lives on our roads.
REACTIONS
“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.
- Passengers standing at the back and hanging by the side of tricycles
- Passengers sitting on top of heavily loaded vehicles
- A passenger sitting on the left side of the driver
- Passengers sitting in the boot of a vehicle with their legs protruding
I think it has to do with life orientation. We should use social media, TikTokers, and radio stations to run sensitization programmes to educate commercial road users.
Honestly, I feel sad when we encourage recklessness and blame it on 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 fare 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 and Kebbi carrying 18 passengers in saloon cars, with an extra person on the left side and loads protruding from the boot and, in some cases, placed on top of the vehicle. Illiteracy is at the root of it all. 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 speeding is essential, but the only enduring solution is formal education. No one who has been through secondary school should 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 licence. Commercial drivers always complain that fuel is expensive, as if they have not already raised transport fares. The worst part is when other passengers start supporting such drivers, saying fuel is expensive, there is hardship, and so on. Illiteracy has nothing to do with it. Two things are responsible: 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. 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 am travelling on public transport, I normally ask to pay for the front seats and sit alone. From the look of many of these drivers, you would realize something was missing because you paid 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 were just helping some stranded passengers.
I still recall a particular driver who, after we left Katsina, tried everything he could to add one more passenger in front that I had already paid for. I declined. He tried to do what they call kalangu; I told him that would 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 we normally do with your educational write-ups, the most important thing is to analyse the submission, highlight the key points, and possibly add comments.
The most important thing for both drivers who use the roads daily and road marshals to understand is that the FRSC was created by law, with everything captured in its enabling Act. 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 or 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 to write home about, but health, safety, and our lives should be considered a priority above all else, 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.
All the things you mentioned in your write-up, such as wearing seat belts and helmets and driving with unexpired tyres, will benefit us first and then others; hence, we must adhere to them strictly. As you suggested, Sir, sensitization is key. Let us sensitize people on what is expected of us and FRSC officials, just as we do when we travel abroad, so that Nigeria can be great.
Finally, establishing mobile courts will be key to preventing or reducing the high rate 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.”
- 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.
— Aliyu Mohammed Karofi
Prof. MK Othman is a respected agricultural don and public affairs analyst
