As a Nigerian child and citizen,I was(still am) opportuned to travel around the country on a road trip,I also had the experience of nite journeys.Any traveler/motorist plying the Nigerian road must consult His/Her god(s) for protection because you never can pre-empt what the journey might look like.
Once upon a time,I embarked on a road trip from Lagos to Owerri,on getting ore(Ondo state) by 1.00pm in the afternoon,we got stuck in a heavy traffic jam that saw us spend 6hours from Ore to Okada(Edo state),"the apparent flight hour duration form Lagos to London".Eventually,I got to my destination by past midnight the following day;HOW OUTRAGEOUS!Yes, but it was the situation I found myself on that faithfully day.Lagos to Owerri shouldn't exceed more than 7hours on a good dual carriage road.
On another road trip,I embarked on a journey from lagos to Abuja,I held my breathe in anxiety till I got past Gwagwalada area of the FCT.The dual carriage road from Ibadan to Ife,well I would say was 40% fair,which is not good enough and risk free,then from Ife to Illesa,down towards Owo and Akure is entirely another horrible story.We got to a town named Magongo(Edo State) heading towards Okene(kogi state),that was when my Nightmare dawned on me as a daylight reality.The road was a sham,I don't know if I should use the word 'Dilapidated' because I feel it is not the best word to describe the true situation .The pot holes were like 3feet deep,single lanes with sharp bends that can make you vehicle tumble,you look at both Sides of the road and all you see is abandoned accident vehicles of different types.
Our vehicle,on that same day ran into an accident scene some 15km away after okene,A commuter bus carrying 18 passengers had just summasulted,Killing, children,adults and of course,there were survivors including a six months old baby.During our rescue Mission,We called the F.R.S.C and informed them about the incident,it took them half an hour to arrive at the accident scene,by then victims that were supposed to survive if adequate first aid had been administered to them gave up the ghost.
Amanda Knox,the American student who allegedly murdered her roomate in Italy was in prison awaiting trial for four years,the US government fought very hard an used all diplomatic measures to get her young citizen free;why?They did it cos they value they value the lives of their citizens more than anything in this world,
The Nigerian government have no regard for lives of their masses.The F.R.S.C. preaches about driving rules and Regulations,this one! This that! but turn blind eye to the state of Nigerian Roads.
The legislators representing their various constituencies and zones needs to up their game,the people back home in the village and township all depend on them and await the dividends of democracy @ their door steps.
IT IS BETTER TO COME UP WITH A ONE POINT AGENDA ON THE REHABILITATION AND CONSTRUCTION OF ALL NIGERIAN ROADS AND ACCOMPLISH IT,RATHER THAN TO HAVE A 15 POINT AGENDA AND FINISH THE TENURE EMPTY HANDED WITHOUT A SINGLE CREDIT.
SAVE THE LIVES OF YOUR CITIZENS BY DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY ON ALL NIGERIAN ROADS.
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