The Nation Newspaper

Tag: roads

  • Over 100,000 injured on roads daily

    Over 100,000 injured on roads daily

    OVER 100,000 peope are injured on roads across the world daily, experts have said.

    Also, no fewer than 4,000 people are killed through road accidents daily.

    These were part of the statements made by Steering Driving School and Nigerians Unite for Road Safety in Lagos.

    Addressing journalists on the World Day Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims which was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1993 to commemorate with the victims and sensitise road users on avoidable road crashes in the country, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Steering Driving School, Mr Samuel Akinfe, said the statistics were from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    Akinfe urged governments at all levels to recognise the day.

    He maintained that there is a need for government to help people understand the reason for them to come together to celebrate the date.

    According to him, the school has concluded arrangements to mark it this year.

    The event would focus on devastating nature of road accidents.

    Also speaking, the former Military Governor of Ondo State, Rear Admiral Abiodun Olukoya, said it is unfortunate that many road users are not conscious of the signs on major roads.

    Olukoya regretted the issuance of drivers’ licence without following due process by the authority.

    He urged motorists to always concentrate while driving.

    The Lagos State Co-ordinator of the Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO), Mr Gbolahan Toriola enjoined road users to take precautions on the road and ensure they drive with care so as to avoid crashes on our roads.

    He called on the government use give the day to remember road traffic victims.

     

  • Why we have bad roads, by expert

    Why we have bad roads, by expert

    A geo-scientist at the University of Lagos and past winner of the NLNG Science Prize, Dr. Ebenezer Meshida has identified lack of understanding the soil nature by the contractors, faulty designs by government engineers and high level corruption in contract award as major factors responsible for poor roads across the country. He spoke with LEKE SALAUDEEN. Excerpts:

    What is responsible for bad roads?

    The answer is very simple. Roads construction in Nigeria is carried out in a peculiar way that is alien to the world of science or engineering. It is difficult to explain this situation because our engineers were properly trained even by world standard. But it appears they (engineers) have found themselves in a very objectionable and professionally dangerous operational system over which they have no control.

    Roads are meant to be designed in accordance with results of comprehensive engineering tests and constructed with long established methodology. In the Nigerian set up, the so-called tests are hardly carried out and the construction methodology is usually a mutilation of the acceptable standard. This is why inappropriate soil types are used with impunity by contractors to support our flexible pavements. Most of our soil layers are clay of different composition, which we erroneously called laterite.

    In order to correct this mistake, the soils along every road alignment must be assessed for their index mineral composition and their possible geo-chemical reaction with water. All the so-called laterite soils are nothing but clay soil. During the dry season, they are hard with excellent bearing capacity. This has facilitated our engineers and contractors to rush into road construction without adequate geo-technical assessment.

    Are there remedies for the deficiencies in the soil particles before constructions are carried out?

    When clays are assessed to have objectionable engineering properties for road works, the solution is to stabilise them with some known and effective soil stabilisers. Unfortunately, the developed countries have stabilisers to develop their own soils, which they market to us. We are known in the world as buyers of commodities, right or wrong. We are not known as practical scientific people who can solve their problems by themselves. So, they make money by selling to us irrelevance once our political leaders are carefully cajoled into agreement.

    President Jonathan has ordered the ministry of works to effect repairs on federal highways before Christmas. Is it feasible?

    The presidential order on rehabilitation of roads before Christmas is a huge joke that has nothing to do with science or engineering.

    But most of the roads in the country are constructed by foreign contractors who are rated above local contractors in terms of technical know-how.

    Development in Nigeria does not signify the construction of infrastructures by foreign people. No foreigner will come here to construct roads that will not go bad or pass the test of time. They are not interested in that. They are contractors, they want to make money. You want them to construct roads for you that will last 20 years without maintenance? They won’t do that. They know quite alright that there are flaws in what has been designed for them and are happy to construct such things and wait for a few days on the order of government to go back and start repairing the same road constructed not long ago.

  • Orji to repair 16 major roads in Aba

    Orji to repair 16 major roads in Aba

    Abia State Governor Theodore Orji has promised to repair 16 major roads in Aba, the state capital.

    The governor spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Ugochukwu Emezue.

    He said his administration has set up a task force to appraise major dilapidated roads.

    Orji listed the roads as Azikiwe, Jubillee, Cemetery, Milverton Avenue, Eziukwu/Okigwe Roundabout, Ama Ogbonna, Nwala by Faulks to Brass Junction by Aba/Owerri, Ngwa and Ohanku, which is ongoing.

    Others include Emelogu Road completed but to add drainage, Ehere, Omoba road, Umuola Road, Ikot Ekpene Road from Opobo Junction to Bata, Amaogbonna/Omuma by ACCN, Nwigwe by Nwagba Avenue and Geometric Access Road, all in Aba.

    The governor spoke in Umuahia, the state capital, at the expanded Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus meeting.

    He assured that his administration would give Aba a face-lift, “as the city is very dear to any government in this state”.

    Orji said that he is not unaware of the infrastructural decay in the commercial city.

    The governor blamed the alleged decay on past administrations.

    He said: “It was occasioned by neglect by previous administrations, which is what I am poised to rectify.”

     

  • 40% of roads used by commercial vehicles

    40% of roads used by commercial vehicles

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Corps Marshal Mr Osita Chidoka, has said 40 per cent of the nation’s roads are used by commercial vehicles, adding that they are usually the highest cause of crashes on our roads.

    Chidoka made this statement during the fourth annual lecture series of the commission in Abuja.

    “This is telling us that the usage of our roads can be detrimental to our lives. If you can control the behaviour of these drivers, you can control the frequency of road traffic crashes, ’’ he said.

    According to him, the major goal of the commission is to reach a stage where “road crashes will result in zero death in the country’.

    He said the three tiers of government and other stakeholders should work together for the achievement of the goal.

    “States will be ranked by the FRSC according to the kind of safety measures they have put in place. Their legal stand on road crashes will account for seven per cent of the ranking, manpower, 15 per cent, budget of the state to road safety will be 13 per cent. Infrastructure should account for 15 per cent, technological strength of the state, 10 per cent, reduction of road traffic crashes in a state will have 40 per cent, to make it 100 per cent,’’ he said

    Chidoka called for the education of commercial drivers to reduce road traffic accidents.

    The guest speaker, President and CEO of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administration, Mr Neil Schuster urged the FRSC to adopt the American approach to solve road safety issues and improve on the safety mechanism already put in place.

    In a lecture entitled Safe and Sustainable Transportation: A Lesson for Nigeria, Schuster said Nigeria must improve its road safety measures to achieve the goal of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

    “You must continue to educate people on intelligent method of using transport systems. There are a lot of gadgets put in place to make driving easier, but people don’t use them wisely.

    “For example, an accident might occur because the driver is paying more attention to the car stereo, or the GPRS system, ‘’ he said

    He suggested that Nigeria should have a safety ambassador, who would speak passionately and champion the cause of safety.

    “I would like to see a congressman, that is passionate about road safety, and would use it in his campaign,’’ he said.

    Schuster further advised the commission to study the behavioural pattern of road safety violators.

    He called for the introduction of high tech cars that could detect and help the driver to avoid accidents.

    “There are so many things technology offers. There are vehicl technologies that are specially devised to help a driver stay awake.

    “These are cars that can sense and prevent crashes, detect blind spots and can even warn the driver when he is deviating from his lane.’’

    In his address, Speaker, House of Representatives Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, said it was important to tackle the problem of road traffic crashes, which, according to him, had became a threat to development.

    Tambuwal, who was represented by the chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs,Mr Zakari Mohammed urged road users to improve their attitude to ensure safety on the nation’s roads.