…Stakeholders Blame FRSC, ARTMA
By Ikeugonna Eleke
Some deaths on highways in Anambra which have been described as avoidable have sparked lamentations among residents of the state.
Residents are blaming authorities of the Anambra State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for these deaths, while others see the Anambra State Road Traffic Maintenance Agency (ARTMA) as being the problem, especially with their aggressive enforcement of road traffic offences which tends to cause accidents.
There have been incidences where broken down trucks have been abandoned on the highways for days without being removed, or placing caution signs to warn road users of them, leading to accidents.
Recently, a young lawyer who was identified as Okechukwu Ututu, was killed in a tragic road crash that occurred along the Awka axis of the Awka-Enugu Expressway in Anambra State. The incident happened on a Sunday night.
It was gathered that he died after his vehicle hit an abandoned stationary articulated truck on the road and somersaulted into a nearby drainage.
A kinsman of the victim who identified himself simply as Ugo, said the deceased had not long before then deposited the remains of his late mother at the mortuary.
The kinsman said, ‘The incident happened along the expressway along the Awka axis. The deceased thought the truck was moving, but when he realised it wasn’t moving, it was too late as he hit it and his car veered into the gutter.
‘The lawyer had recently welcomed a child with his wife, whom he married in February this year. His sudden demise has left his loved ones in shock.
‘He had just put his late mother in the mortuary and was preparing for the funeral. Now, he’s joined her in the mortuary. The incident serves as a stark reminder of life’s unpredictable nature and the importance of cherishing every moment.
‘It was an avoidable death, caused by allowing abandoned vehicles to stay on the road longer than necessary. The stationery vehicle was in a dangerous position on the road, thereby, posing a serious danger to other road users.’
The victim’s remains were said to have later been deposited at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, after he was confirmed dead, same mortuary where he had deposited his mother’s remains. Fides gathered that the truck had been on that portion of road for four days and was only towed away a day after the fatal crash, following a complaint by the Editor-in-Chief of this paper, Mr Jude Atupulazi, who, incidentally, is a kinsman of the deceased.
Anambra residents who commented on the matter had criticised traffic officials, including the Federal Road Safety Corps, for allegedly allowing the abandoned truck to remain on the road longer than necessary without taking action to tow it away.
A journalist, Mr Jude Atupulazi condemned the habit of leaving broken down trucks on the highway for days, without caution signs or removing them or even putting up caution signs.
He called on the relevant government agencies, the FRSC and ARTMA to be alive to their duties, saying that such may cause avoidable deaths in the state.
Atupulazi who took to his Facebook page further warned about another development of an abandoned truck, not so far from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, close to Aroma, saying the truck had been there for days, and that if an avoidable death happened as a result of it, people would start wailing, when in truth, it could have been removed early enough. This was even as he also reported of another broken down vehicle at the Unizik Temporary Site Junction.
Another resident of the state, Mr Chukwuma Nwaeze said: ‘I think FRSC and ARTMA share the blame together. But I think the blame is more on ARTMA because they serve the state directly and should be more concerned about her people.
‘The government of the state has provided them with tow-trucks, but what is more important to them is to use it to tow vehicles that they will impound and collect monies from. They cannot see a broken down vehicle and tow it off the road to avoid accidents. They are more particular about the money they will use it to make.’
Meanwhile, the Sector Commander, FRSC, Anambra State Command, Joyce Alexander, while reacting to the abandonment of trucks on the road, said officials of the Command could not be everywhere at the same time. She solicited for volunteers who could help them in the job they did and commiserated with the family of the lawyer who lost their son in the avoidable death.
She said, ‘I am aware that he (lawyer) ran into a broken-down stationary truck. Unfortunately, this happened in the night and the FRSC rescue team that went for the rescue operation could not ascertain from any eyewitness what really happened.
‘It was obviously not a tyre burst, as no tyre burst was observed. The only likely explanation was excessive speed which might have led to loss of control. We arrived at this conclusion because of the skid marks and yellow marks on the crash scene.
‘I have also visited the scene to confirm the marks and the apparent struggle with the steering before the vehicle eventually tumbled. I did like to point out here that FRSC is not, and cannot be at every place.
‘And that’s why we solicit the collaboration and assistance of so many groups and individuals, the media included. That is also why we have the FRSC toll-free emergency number: 122. We rely on every member of society to alert us on crashes and obstructions.
‘Also, because the truck could not be towed due to the load it was carrying, I had directed my staff to cordon off the scene with reflective tapes to warn oncoming traffic in the night, pending when the truck could be offloaded and towed in the morning.’
Indeed, many road users are questioning the attitude of many road traffic agencies who seem to concentrate more on making money off traffic offenders than preventing accidents. They have also complained about what they describe as the selective treatment given to drivers of commercial buses and articulated vehicles who are never accosted for not wearing seat belts.
‘What I can deduce from this is that they only concentrate on drivers of private vehicles because they make more money from them,’ a concerned citizen, Mr Joel Kachukwu, volunteered.
‘Why look for seat belt offenders while ignoring broken down vehicles on the road for days?’ he queried.
Until the concerned agencies dispel these notions by an improved attitude, such will likely not go away any time soon.
