ISSUES/POLICY: Ilesa-Akure Expressway Accident: Enough Reason To Relocate Checkpoints
By Adewale Adetoyese
One of the characteristics of Nigeria roads is the presence of checkpoints, where assigned security and traffic officials perform their duties. Among other law enforcement agents on the roads are men of the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, Federal Road Safety Corps and Vehicle Inspection Officers.
Daily, these officials are being deployed to Nigeria roads where they’ve created checkpoints for the safety of road users and to enhance strict adherence to the laws of the land. However, the deployment of these men have over the years raised questions, especially those relating to ethics and integrity by the officials in question.
Another disturbing question raised by Nigerians is the location of checkpoints right in the centre of the roads by these officials, thereby creating a long queue of vehicles waiting for ‘inspection’, even on busy highways.
Study has shown that drivers and other road users go through a lot to pass across checkpoints on Nigeria roads, even with complete and up to date vehicle documents. Most of them often resort to bribing officials at checkpoints to avoid delay.
Aside the delay being faced by road users, they are also prone to accident of various dimensions as long queue of vehicles at checkpoints makes it impossible for them to move in case of emergency.
For instance, the fatal accident that occurred on Thursday,October 25, 2018 at the Erin-Ijesa area of the Ilesa-Akure Expressway where at least 14 people were killed was said to have been compounded by the traffic congestion created by the Police checkpoint on the busy road.
According to an eyewitness, the Police had in their usual way stopped vehicles on the busy road before a truck heading towards Akure with a failed break ran on to the waiting vehicles, thereby killing 14 people and injuring others.
While it is painful to know that the truck’s driver fled the scene of the accident, the supposed gallant men of The Nigeria Police also disappeared from their checkpoint, after holding 14 people for untimely death.
Going by the circumstance surrounding the above tragedy, it is imperative for concerned authorities to immediately relocate checkpoints from the centre of roads into safer areas to ensure that smooth flow of traffic is not interrupted.
Also, officials must be upright in their operations on Nigerian roads by not making vehicle inspection among other road operations a herculean exercise for Nigerians.
Finally, concerned authorities must ensure that the safety of Nigerians and compliance with the 1999 constitution of the country is their sole reasons for deploying officials on Nigerian roads.
