Nigerians are at one over the fact that our highways are in a deplorable condition. A week hardly passes by without a grim report of one rather avoidable accident or the other. And to make matters worse, such reports are almost always accompanied by grimmer accounts of lives lost in such mishaps.This, without doubt, is an issue that is of utmost concern to all and assumes a more worrying dimension considering that it is an issue that is constantly harped on by both the media and indeed the authorities.
The Federal Road safety Corps (FRSC) reported a total of 2,650 road traffic crashes (RTCs) across the country between January and March 2025 and that at least 1,593 Nigerians lost their lives in those road traffic crashes. This marks almost a one per cent decrease from the 2,674 crashes recorded in the same period in 2024. However, the number of people killed surged by 8.3 per cent from 1,471 in Q1 2024 to 1,593 in Q1 2025. In addition, the number of injured persons rose by 7.4 per cent, with 9,298 injuries recorded in Q1 2025 compared to 8,659 in the corresponding quarter of 2024. The statistics suggest that while fewer crashes occurred, they were deadlier and more injurious, pointing to an increase in the severity of road accidents across the country.
On a daily basis Nigerians are regaled with stories of accidents claiming several lives and many others maimed. Some of these accidents this year include the loss of 10 lives in Katari along the Abuja Kaduna expressway in January, 19 deaths and 11 injuries that occurred at Kwanan Maciji in Pankshin Local government area of Plateau state on January 11, 14 lives lost on January 16, at Otukpo-Aduka road in Benue state, 15 lives lost at Oko olowo in Ilorin, Kwara State on January 22, another 23 were also lost and 48 injured on Muhammadu Buhari flyover In Kano state on February 14, also 16 people killed in the 4 of March on Abeokuta-Sagamu expressway. These are just a few out of the tragic news incidents being experience almost on a daily basis.
In as much as we acknowledge the commendable work of the staff of the FRSC, we must, however, call on them to do more. They must not relent in their efforts until ours become accident free motorways.
Many roads in the country now carry the ignoble tag of‘death traps’. Large gullies and potholes on our highways are a common sight. The ministry of works and by extension, governments at all levels, must wake up to their responsibilities in this regard.
The attitudes of Nigerian drivers do not seem to be helping matters either. The rather rash behaviour of drivers is often to blame for some of these accidents. Else how do you explain a driver speeding away in the rain for instance or on a road he knows fully well is laden with potholes? This
trend must be reversed. Overloading has also been identified as a critical factor central to road accidents. It is disturbing how vehicles, particularly heavy-duty trucks, freely transport cargo goods well beyond their capacity over long distances across the country without any sanction imposed on erring drivers by officials of the appropriate government agencies. The FRSC and other road traffic agencies should insist on, and strictly enforce, rules governing the loading capacity of vehicles, issuance of driving licences and other requirements necessary to make a vehicle roadworthy at any material time
The manner through which most drivers acquire driving licence today is questionable. The cutting of corners in the administration of safety standards on our roads is a major source of accidents that could be very fatal in some cases.There is the urgent need to comply with the physical inspection of vehicles as a precondition for the issuance of certificates of road worthiness.
Unfortunately like most government institutions in Nigeria the FRSC appeared to have lost focus and turned itself into a revenue generating agency. As a result, its core activities, as the public sees them, is largely reduced to lurking in secluded areas or in slow traffic to pounce on drivers who do not put on seat belts and impose fines.
We, at Daily Trust, believe that the current situation needs urgent attention to stop unnecessary carnage on our roads. First, our law enforcement agencies charged with ensuring safety on our roads must be alive to their responsibilities. Both the FRSC and the various directorates for road traffic services must see their role beyond that of revenue generation. If only they can devote their energy to ensuring proper licensing of drivers, road worthiness of vehicles and enforcing traffic regulations, we would be able to reduce road crashes by a significant proportion within a short time.
