Negligence by Nigerian administrators continues to cost lives annually, with incidences that should be freak accidents becoming the norm for many Nigerians.
On January 29, 2023, one such freak occurrence happened when a truck carrying a 20 ft container fell on a commercial bus at the Ojuelegba bridge.
This unfortunate accident claimed the lives of eight people, including two children.
How it happened
According to eyewitnesses, the container-laden truck was driving at high speed and lost control while trying to overtake the commercial bus. After evacuation efforts, only one of the nine passengers was found alive.
This isn’t the first, second or fourth time an accident of this nature has happened at the Ojuelegba bridge, and it’s baffling that the government’s not trying to solve a problem claiming the lives of its citizens.
Here’s a timeline of accidents on the Ojuelegba bridge so far
November 2014
In 2014, a container fell off a trailer while trying to climb the flyover. The container landed on a commercial bus under the bridge, but fortunately, no lives were lost.
September 2015
Sadly, the accident victims on this particular day weren’t as lucky. Around 4:45 pm, a heavy-duty container skidded off the bridge and landed on three cars: an SUV, a Toyota Corolla and a Nissan saloon.
The three drivers were all crushed to death, and many eyewitnesses reported that the reason for this accident was that the container wasn’t latched on properly. Unfortunately, this is another instance where people have lost their lives for preventable reasons.
June 2016
Another container fell off a trailer on the Ojuelegba bridge, but thankfully, no lives were lost this time.
July 2017
On July 8, 2017, seven church members on their way back from a programme were victims of a fatal accident which claimed five lives immediately. A truck carrying a 40 ft container filled with plywood lost pressure in two of its tyres. This made the container tilt till it eventually fell on the vehicle containing the returning church members.
July 2018
Again, another accident involving a container happened on the Ojuelegba bridge, and three lives were lost, with four others injured. A container overloaded with plywood was trying to climb the flyover and, in the process, unfortunately, fell over and spilt its contents on the three commercial buses and one car under the bridge.
April 2019
In 2019, while trying to climb the Ojuelegba bridge with his trailer, he realised that the vehicle was moving backwards and couldn’t stop. Although no one lost their lives, seven cars were damaged.
August 2020
In 2020, two women, Chidinma Ajoku and Chima Nnaekpe were on their way from work when a container fell on the bus they boarded and crushed them both to death. Before this accident, Chidinma was expected to travel out soon as she had secured admission to a university in the United Kingdom, but tragically, her dreams were never realised.
September 2021
On September 20, 2021, a container fell off a truck onto a moving vehicle and trapped four people in the process.
According to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the container developed a mechanical fault, which caused it to trip over onto the vehicle. The victims were, thankfully, all evacuated alive.
April 2022
On April 3, 2022, a container-laden truck again fell off the bridge and landed on a Honda accord. Unfortunately, the driver didn’t survive this incident as he was crushed to death.
As we can see clearly, these incidents aren’t isolated. They have happened at least once every year for the past nine years, and it’s ridiculous that the government hasn’t properly addressed this problem.
What’s the government saying?
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC)
The FRSC put out a statement recommending the construction of barricades against vehicles like trailers, tankers and trucks.
The Lagos state government.
In a statement signed by Dr Frederic Oladeinde, the Lagos Commissioner for Transportation, the Lagos state government expressed sympathies to the victims’ families and promised to run investigations to avoid future occurrences. He also mentioned working with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Works to install barriers on the bridge.
While this seems promising, it would not be the first time his administration would be promising such, and at this point, Lagosians want solutions not sympathy.
It seems like our government walks on a fine line between negligence and wickedness with little to no regard for lives. So, we should remember this pain and the unjustifiable deaths when we choose the candidate to vote for in the upcoming elections.
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