Gov. Dapo Abiodun
By: Yomi Ogunsanu
In recent times, the number of innocent people that have lost their lives to untimely death due to recklessness of Dangote truck drivers on roads, particularly in the Ijebu axis of Ogun State, has reached an alarming proportion.
It is gradually becoming a daily occurrence along the routes plied by Dangote trucks to see them involved in ghastly accidents that usually claimed the lives of innocent citizens.
The roads that are worst hit include: Ijebu-Ode – Ibadan road, Ago-Iwoye – Ijebu-Igbo road, Ala – Omu-Ijebu road and others.
These notorious drivers don’t care about other road users, as they struggle with them for right of way without considering the aftermath of their reckless attitude.
What is most worrisome is the fact that these reckless drivers behaved as if they are above the law, while the state government has not deemed it fit to call them to order or wield the big stick.
Aside from precious lives that are frequently lost, these roads have been made impassable due to the heavy loads of granite that are being transported on them.
Driving on these roads has therefore become a nightmare, because of the rate at which vehicles break down due to the failing portions that characterise the roads.
The truck drivers on most occasions have also become victims of their own notorious actions, as their trucks fall easily on the roads thereby causing traffic jam and bringing untold hardship to other road users. A journey of 20 minutes sometimes stretched to 2 hours on account of accident caused by these trucks.
The situation along these roads before now have never been this bad, until there was an influx of the trucks in Ijebu axis as a result of new quarry sites that sprang up there.
While the quarry sites could be seen as bringing economic prosperity to the areas concerned, the negative impact of the activities of the trucks on the roads and human lives must be given priority attention by the quarry owners, truck owners and particularly the government who collects revenue, and whose responsibility it is to protect lives and property of its citizens.
The communities where the quarry sites are located also have roles to play in checkmating the unruly behaviour of the truck drivers who are killing innocent citizens. This could be in form of peaceful protest or dialogue between the communities, the quarry sites and the truck owners in order to find a lasting solution to the wanton killings.
Above all government should live up to its responsibility by taking a decisive action that will nip further tragedies in the bud.
