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Nigeria is one of the nations with the highest rate of traffic accidents worldwide, according to the World Bank’s report from December 2022. Additionally, according to data from the Federal Road Safety Corps, 32,617 people died in road accidents in Nigeria between 2016 and 2021.
Given the foregoing, it is safe to say that following the Boko Haram insurgency and banditry, road accidents are Nigeria’s third major crisis, which has caused thousands of deaths and caused billions of naira’s worth of property to be destroyed nationwide. According to experts, overspeeding and reckless driving account for 60% of the issues, and nationwide poor road conditions account for 30% of the issues.
On January 4, 2023, 18 people were burnt to death along the Bauchi-Jos highway in a ghastly motor accident including a newborn baby. The vehicles caught fire right away following the collision, but there was no firefighting truck nearby to put it out. At the scene of the accident, 18 people perished in this manner.
On the other hand, a factor adding to the threat along the road is the non-dualization of the roads connecting the northeast and the north-central regions. The federal government approved funding for the project in 2018, but there is still nothing in place to make the project a reality. The road has a large number of motorists every day, connects the entire northeast state with north central and some other parts of the north-west.
On this note, I’m appealing to the federal government to provide firefighting trucks along the nation’s highways. The need is to safeguard the citizens’ lives and property. When necessary, the firefighting trucks will be very helpful in putting out the flames. Otherwise, the federal government should help in the continuation of the already awarded dualization of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi and Gombe roads.
- Ukasha Rabiu Magama, Bauchi.
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