Nigeria: Our roads are not safe; even without armed robbery and banditry! – By Kichime Goyang Gotau

 

This feature article aims for continuous education and as a trained Special Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (PIN N0: 04-10315 ; RS4.1 Jos).

PEGASUS REPORTERS, LAGOS | JUNE 23, 2024

In this feature, I am compelled to repeat an excerpt from one of my favourite treatise, “Ideas of Safety Tool Kits by Kichime Goyang Gotau, FCILG USA.” Safety is a state of being and a condition of avoidance of eminent dangers, around and about one’s environment. It is a concern as much as it is a goal in every human endeavor today. Interestingly, the knowledge of safety elements and routes or methods, has matched nearly every potential harzard, especially on man-made situations.

It is true that, safety for natural disasters are still calamitous, with huge death tolls due to the absolute lack of safety capabilities in human society. Because of lack of safety, ‘man and his environment’ is/are constantly at odds, with colossal loses whenever an accident or crash occurs. Every form of living and work (career) does better upon the identification of safe means of carrying on. From living in the cold regions of Antarctica to living in hot sunny tropical Africa, say in Borno state, north-eastern Nigeria.

Safety on the sea, air, space and on land are critical to the survival of the persons involved, whether as space astronauts, adventurers, and or crew, passengers, goods and cargo (luggage), etc.

Now, let’s scrutinize the major causes of ‘Road Traffic Crashes, RTCs’ in Nigeria and across the African continent, in general.

Three prominent causes of RTCs are emphasized among stakeholders in this continent; I however have identified four, as real- sector causes of Africa’s unending highway bloodbirth, as follows:

1. The Human Factors of RTCs:
These factors is/are occasioned by driver’s voluntary & involuntary failures etc; namely: unstable mindset (psychological depression), sleep, drink & drive & lack of adequate driver education/skills etc.

These group of factors account for the largest incidents of casualties in the Road Transport Safety Curves (RTSC).

Deaths in this case (category) is/are largely preventable by the discipline, competence & adherence to basic highway code, of the driver and passengers.

Although, essential human failure like dizziness & stroke may & cannot easily be anticipated among other involuntary predispositions. The motoring public is/are sometimes as culpable as the reckless drivers due to “extreme tolerance of the reckless drivers” (by the commuters).

2. The Mechanical Factors:
The vehicle is largely automotive and is generally mechanical and therefore guided by laws of motion & principles of automotive compliance, etc.

Technical faults are eminent when tears & wears aren’t attended to by the driver (manager). These group of factors account a very large percentage of deaths on motorable roads, even with vehicles driven by sound minds & professional drivers. Gear failure, break failure, Stiff Steer & Electrical malfunction, etc. Yet, deaths in this case are largely preventable by the discipline of routine compliance to high maintenance culture.

The auto-mechanics are a grave source of danger due to quackery and lack of standard trade test and government’s negligence of the Auto- mechanic skill acquisition standardization. Just as the business community selling and circulating sub-standard spare parts.

3. The Environmental Factors:
Falling debris of hills, mountains & tree branches are implicated in this category.

Just as bad weather, steep slopes (downward & upward types) etc. A slippery road during rainy or snowy days should be treated as an emergency by the motoring public (and not just the driver please).

Deaths in this case category, is/are largely prevented by the discipline of routine compliance by both the driver (usual culprits) and the passengers (unusual culprits) How much of weather forecast is utilized in the road transport sub sector..? These are aspects of the road transport sector requiring legislation and strict monitoring by authorizing agencies of government.

4. The Institutional Factors:
I created this fourth realm of the causative source of ‘Road Traffic Crashes’ RTCs in 2012.

These group of factors is/are characterized by poor moribund network of roads, occasioned by ‘Bad Governance’. Terrible road construction anomalies, and not necessarily lack of enabling policy framework, corruption and system- breakdown as well as dis-alignment among related agencies oh government; thereby placing government (The State) as the worst (culprits) of all causes of unsafe roads and bad unsafe road networks, nationwide.

Government officials neglect their duties (supervisory) of meeting standards in road construction, project management compliance, as well gross violations in “Weights & Measures” enforcement roles etc. Today, corruption (embezzlement) & 10% Kickback etc, is/are the overriding monsters hampering government’s capacity to ensure safer roads and thus, optimizing national security.

Insurance is a serious value addition for a large country as Nigeria, but, Nigeria’s third party insurance, for the transport subsector has been, a needless taxation upon the transport sector, and one without useful justification, not at all, for the good of any critical stakeholder.

These group of factors (Government and it’s institutions) are by far the worst factors, that the African (Nigerian) society is grabbling with. And deaths in RTCs therefore, due to these factor is/are even more catastrophic and not easily preventable, unless by a cautionary driving culture and some form of defensive driving by the drivers.

In conclusion, the fourth factor and group of official contributory assault on the road traffic subsector, is the overall underlying causes of every large scale fatality on the sector. Government and it’s agencies must ensure that competent and passionate human resources are deployed accordingly to forestall the causes of road traffic crashes in the three previous causes respectively. Africa’s (Nigeria’s) national security is threatened today, more by road traffic crashes, than by insurgency, armed robbery, banditry and kidnapping. The development of urgent and appropriate strategy for curbing this menace is a matter of urgent national and human importance.

Like I always say: “A little prevention, is worth a hundred naira of safety”.

#TransportSafety
#NationalSecurity
#SafetyToolKits

A Feature by Kichime Goyang Gotau, FCILG USA.

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