Posted by Samuel on Sat 04th Feb, 2023 - tori.ng
The findings showed that 10 incidents were recorded in 2021, 10 in 2022 and three had so far occurred in 2023.
Findings by Saturday PUNCH have shown that as many as 27 persons were killed in 23 road accidents involving fallen containers between January 2021 and January 2023.
The findings showed that 10 incidents were recorded in 2021, 10 in 2022 and three had so far occurred in 2023.
Further checks revealed that 15 of the accidents occurred in Lagos, three in Ogun, two in Rivers, and one each in Abia, Oyo, and Kwara states.
Lagos recorded the highest number of casualties with 15 killed; Ogun, four; Rivers, three; Oyo, three; and Kwara and Abia, one, respectively.
On January 29, 2023, nine persons were reportedly killed when a 20ft container being conveyed by the truck fell on a commercial bus in the Ojuelegba area of Lagos.
On 13 October 2022, three persons lost their lives when a truck carrying a 40ft container fell and knocked two vehicles into a river in the Eleme axis of the East-West Road in Rivers State.
On September 7, a truck fell on a tricycle popularly referred to as Keke Napep, killing its three occupants instantly and leaving others trapped in Ogun state.
Similarly, at least three persons lost their lives when a container fell on an 18-seater bus at Celica, Ibadan-Ife Expressway, Oyo State, on January 12, 2021.
On December 7, 2021, four persons escaped death in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, after a container fell on the car they were travelling in.
Speaking with our correspondent on Friday, the Chief Executive Officer of Professional Driving and Safety Academy, Jide Owatunmise, blamed the rising road carnage caused by truck drivers on poor training.
Owatunmise said, “The system that we have presently in Nigeria is a system where someone can buy an articulated vehicle and put it on the road to run. Where we have this kind of system, it will be difficult to enforce any law because there is no one responsible.
‘’An individual that has an articulated vehicle cannot be told that he needs training or that his truck needs maintenance because he cannot be tracked. If it is a company’s truck that caused harm, law enforcement can easily reach out to the management of the company for questioning and if they fail to admit, the company can be penalised.”
He said 99 per cent of drivers lacked knowledge of vehicle dynamics, despite the training offered by the Federal Road Safety Corps and Vehicle Inspection Office.
“I throw a challenge to them that these drivers have not been trained on vehicle dynamics because if they had the knowledge, they would be mindful of overloading and speed. Fatigue has been a major problem because they are given targets by their employers which they must meet up with.
“There are tendencies that they may fall asleep while driving. Sometimes, they take drugs just to keep awake,” he added.
Another road safety expert, Ayomide Akinpelu, lamented that the victims’ families might not be compensated or the companies sanctioned, blaming law enforcement agencies for not living up to expectations.
Akinpelu said “The issue of trucks not properly maintained has to do with law enforcement. There was a time when there was enforcement that trailers or trucks should not move during the day.
“They (truck drivers) were timed but from the look of it, the law is not being followed and law enforcers such as the police, VIO, and FRSC are not doing enough to enforce this rule.