I lost a young friend on July 6. He died in an accident on the Abeokuta-Siun-Sagamu highway in Ogun State. My friend left his home on the fateful day, parked his car in Sango-Ota because he had no spare tyre to travel with, and boarded a Mazda commuter bus at the Sango Motor Park for a journey to Ago-Iwoye. The trip was smooth up to Ibara village near Sagamu Interchange, when a female passenger pleaded to be allowed to urinate. The driver parked by the roadside. The woman and all other passengers disembarked, some also urinated and others just stretched their legs. It was about 10.00 am. Then the passengers returned to the bus and took their seats one after the other and the boarding was almost completed when a MACK truck laden with granite emerged from behind on top speed. The truck driver rammed into the stationary bus, dragged it for some metres and fell, crushing the vehicle and emptying its granite load on it and its passengers. Ten people lost their lives on the spot, including my 32-year-old friend. Among the dead were also three prospective students who were on their way to the Olabisi Onabanjo University to process their admission. Only three passengers and driver of the bus survived.
My friend’s remains were interred the day after the accident. He left behind his dad, widow and three children. The families of other victims had also buried their dead and moved on. An advice I gave to my friend’s family to seek redress for his death wasn’t taken. Their attitude was that the accident was the will of God and that nothing might come out of such effort.
The truck driver who disappeared from the scene after the accident, I’m sure, must have resurfaced now. I want to also believe he would have settled all issues with law enforcement agencies and the bus owners. He would probably be on the road now driving another truck! I based my assumptions on another experience. Many years back, I knew of a truck driver, who also caused the death of four persons. He eventually returned to his job as if nothing had happened.
The July 6 accident wasn’t the first. Such tragedy is an everytime occurrence.
This article was motivated by another I witnessed penultimate Saturday on the Sango-Ijoko Road, which is still undergoing reconstruction, but recording fatalities regularly. A Sienna car driver in the process of overtaking a truck in front of Sango High School had a head-on collision with a commercial motorcycle. The motorbike rider and his two passengers died on the spot. As soon as he got out of his car and beheld the havoc, the car driver disappeared from the scene. Another three gone, whose families would have buried by now. No redress is sought from the reckless driver and no compensation taken. No queries are raised about the government contractors building roads, like the one on which that accident happened, without directional and safety signs, specifying speed limits. It’s almost the norm for our people to suffer negligence or irresponsibility from fellow citizens, government and organizations, but bear their pains quietly. It’s very common in all spheres, but much more with road accidents. I’m at odds with this mentality of leaving it to God to right the wrong or compensate for the loss and pain, which those who owe us the duty of care inflict, when we should cry out and at least succeed in preventing the same fate befalling others.
Not only do we lose souls, on our roads, vehicles plying them get damaged frequently.
Families of victims who lose their lives out of negligence bury their dead and accept their tragedy as the will of God.
Those who get injured in accident caused by the carelessness of others also chose to bear the pains, medical costs and other losses. Nigerians also hardly take advantage of the benefit provided by insurance when involved in road accidents, even while holding valid the least policy, third party insurance.
Ignorance, lack of confidence in the police and high cost of litigation as well as slow judicial system are reasons many Nigerians prefer to leave the matter in the hands of God.
I was, however, glad when notable lawyer and senior advocate, Femi Falana said in Abuja, last week, that he was going to sue government for sustaining injuries after falling into a manhole on Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja while walking to his office. He had told the audience at a summit on whistle-blowing where he delivered a speech that he was hospitalized and made to wear Plaster of Paris on his fractured leg. The lawyer said, “I won’t, like the ordinary Nigerians, leave it to God. I have decided that I will sue the Federal Government.”
I believe our country will be better served and the citizens’ lives improved, if we develop the mindset to challenge those who are responsible or in charge when things go wrong with us or people around to us.
Falana is heading for the court to seek for damages for injuries he suffered after falling into a manhole, which was most likely left uncovered by government officials. This is what obtains in other better-organised and enlightened societies. A Nigerian friend who resides in the United States once told me about what he went through after a freak accident. A man hit by his car sued for damages and demanded compensation. The insurance company said his policy didn’t cover such incident. He had to settle out of court and paid the victim a hefty sum as compensation. Reckless drivers will learn to be cautious on the highways if they know that they are liable to pay compensation for injuries or deaths they cause and that they may be permanently barred from driving. Government officials will also be alive to their responsibilities if government is made to pay damages for negligence. More lives and limbs will be saved. But only if we choose not to live it to God.
Re: Talking too much politics
Abdulfatah, if there is any Nigerian, in whatever profession, who wants PMB to succeed in governance, he is none other than you because you tell him the truth, state his leadership shortages and offer solutions to most of his problems you highlight in your pieces. Politics generally is about good leadership and making lives better for the followership class. That is alien to Nigerian polity.
The cardinal desire of a typical Nigerian politician is to have a bite at the national treasury. I doubt whether there is any Nigerian, who has been in power, that can beat his chest that he has not directly or otherwise benefitted corruptly from the system. That takes me to Omoniyi Salaudeen’s interview with Senator Rufai Hanga in Sun of 29th. October 2017 page 35 in which the Senator said that wiping corruption is”next to impossibility”. His assessment of Buhari’s government was in line with your apt score that it does not touch lives of Nigerians.
What our leaders take Nigerians for is rather unfortunate. What would Nigerians gain from a seventeen year old rail-line project being programmed for completion by PMB when they are hungry and their graduate-children are unemployed? Senator Hanga also disabused the notion that PMB government’s marginalisation is limited to the south.
The story of his graduate-son’s employment trauma would stir one’s tearglands to action. Though he laid PMB’s failures on his trust in his appointees whom he gave free hands to run their offices, but who bears the brunt of their ineptness, in the end, other than PMB himself? The earlier he realises that and puts round pegs in round holes, the less public condemnation of his government would be. Grandiose projects don’t fill stomachs. Nigerians are tired of KACHIKWU/BARU SGF/OKE, MALAMI and MAINA melodramas. PMB, save Nigeria now.
–Lai Ashadele.
l give kudos to PMB for his early presentation of 2018 budget to NASS for delibration l believe 2018 budget is going to put smiles on nigerian faces as recession is over. Now that PMB has presented budget to NASS, the lawmakers should sit up to ensure the budget is ready before the end of the year for PMB to sign into law for implementation against January l, 2018 fascial year. We are in expectation that good things will happen in 2OI8.
–Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia.