For Nigerians in Diaspora in particular, it’s the kind of story and event that will send chills down the spines of many: The dozens of commuters that got burnt to death in a road traffic accident involving a fuel tanker along the Lagos-Sagamu expressway. The official count was 30, but I’m convinced more died. This is an account of the accident, according to Vanguard Newspaper:
Trouble was said to have started when the tanker loaded with petrol was said to have climbed a culvert near the Sagamu intersection and in the process fell and spilled the petrol on the road.
One of the buses, an 18 seater was said to have rammed into it, igniting fire in the process while all those on board the bus were immediately burnt to death.
Some other vehicles including cars were said to have been unable to stop thus ramming into the burning vehicles while some who were able to stop still had their vehicles and themselves consumed in the fire as the fire kept spreading.
Some were said to have abandoned their vehicles on the road to flee into the bush only for the quick spreading flame to catch up with them.
Yes this was an accident, but it’s the kind of accident that has become way too common and over familiar to the senses, it has become one-too-many, particularly along the Lagos expressway. How long will people keep getting their lives snuffed out and suffer the most agonizing deaths because our national infrastructural system is in shreds and our social values and sensitivities long flushed down the toilet? That these types of incidents happen over and over and over to the point of desensitization is an indication that there is a serious derailment in our national psyche and collective sense of responsibility.
Will there be an investigation into the accident? Most probably YES!
Will there be any concrete and measurable steps taken to prevent a re-occurrence? Most definitely NO!
Now, if a non-Nigeria or non-African observer looks at these incidents and our attitudes, and simple tags it “Animalistic”, “Sub-human”, and even “Retarded”; several self-righteous commentators will arise instanta to hurl expletives on that person. But really isn’t what these sets of behavior and attitude suggest?
The root causes of the decay in our infrastructure have been discussed off-line, online, in public and private settings, and the compilation in words will stretch from Lagos to the moon! Even a glacier-locked Eskimo knows what our problems are in Nigeria! But what about solving them? How can this carnage be prevented on Nigerian roads?
The standard practice is to tie the success of solving social and public health problems – such as road traffic accident fatalities – to the implementation billion-dollar projects, so it have become standardized (for the feds) to wave the “lack of funds” card as an excuse. While there is need to overhaul the entire stretched of the most-traveled highway in Nigeria, there are several low-cost interventions – that if properly implemented – will save lives and properties on Nigerian roads.
How about limiting the movement of vehicles over a certain tonnage to specific times - such as late evenings and early morning hours? Limiting fuel tankers and similar vehicles to 8:00PM – 6:00AM, for instance, isolate them and limit the threat they to pose to other road-commuters significantly. This cost not millions in implementation, and all it takes is being able to deal with some special interest group that won’t like the idea.
Those that have seen the typical Nigerian 14-18 wheelers articulated trucks (trailers in Nigerian parlance) will appreciate how dangerous they are… just looking at them: battered, bent, and broken. Many have no working rear lights or side indicators, and have headlights that hardly sees beyond a few feet. These contraptions are owned and operated as business ventures, so why can’t the owners be made legally liable for destructions and deaths they cause on our roads? Many of the accidents involving these vehicles are due to either over speeding, broken parts or malfunctioning of poorly maintained parts, or reckless driving. I don’t see why this measure can’t be applied to all vehicles used for commercial transportation.
There are other several low-cost measures that can be listed, and if those are coupled with a more stringent licensing protocol for drivers, fatalities on Nigerian roads will be significantly reduced. Well, on paper that’s…if one controls for corruption!
Image Credit: Emma Osodi, The News. There are more graphic images.
AfricanLoft has a featured article on the Obama Nigeria Initiative being spearheaded by the legislator. Hon. Onibiyo Adelabu, the President Obama Nigeria Initiatives, is shown answering reporters’ questions at the press conference in Lagos.
Lagos and Kano are the two largest states in Nigeria and have very thriving metropolises. They also have one other trait in common – huge challenges keep their cities clean. 
