Road traffic accidents have become one of the foremost public health and developmental challenges confronting Nigeria today. Statistics consistently show that road crashes remain among the leading causes of death in the country, particularly affecting citizens within the most productive age bracket. Yet, despite the magnitude of the problem and the heavy toll on lives and livelihoods, the issue has not been accorded the seriousness it deserves.

The causes of these incessant tragedies are well known. Nigeria’s deplorable road infrastructure, coupled with reckless driving behaviour, deliberate disobedience of traffic laws, poor vehicle maintenance, and the rising menace of heavy-duty trucks and petroleum tankers, has turned our highways into death traps. The repeated incidents of truck crashes and fuel tanker explosions, often resulting in scores of fatalities, underline the scale of the national tragedy. Sadly, these losses are treated as routine occurrences rather than preventable disasters demanding urgent action.

It must be stated unequivocally that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), as currently constituted, cannot shoulder this burden alone. The Corps is underfunded, underpowered, and overstretched. Most troubling is the fact that the FRSC does not have offices in all 774 Local Government Areas of the federation, a structural deficiency that severely limits its enforcement and response capacity. Without a deliberate effort to strengthen the Corps, the scourge of road crashes will persist unchecked.

What is required is a comprehensive reform that expands the FRSC’s presence to every local government, enhances its funding and logistics, and crucially, empowers it with the political and legal authority to decisively arrest and prosecute reckless drivers. These measures must be taken irrespective of the influence of those involved, for the law must serve as a shield for the innocent and a deterrent to would-be offenders.

It is perplexing that while the aviation sector enjoys robust attention and stringent safety oversight, the road transport sector used daily by millions of Nigerians remains dangerously neglected. Aviation safety is essential, but it must be recognised that road accidents claim far more lives annually. The same rigor, investment, and seriousness devoted to air safety must be extended to our roads, for road accidents, like air crashes, are no respecter of persons.

Furthermore, state governments must not abdicate responsibility. States yet to establish road traffic management agencies should do so without delay, thereby complementing the efforts of the FRSC. The challenge of road safety demands collaboration between federal and state governments, with coordinated strategies backed by adequate resources, manpower, and modern enforcement tools.

The truth is stark: every fatal road accident is a preventable tragedy. Nigeria cannot continue to lose its citizens, the very drivers of its economy and development on account of weak enforcement, infrastructural decay, and governmental indifference. It is therefore imperative for all levels of government to rise above rhetoric and act decisively.

The time to halt these needless deaths is now.

 Tochukwu Obi,jimobi83@gmail.com

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