Senators decry high number of illiterate drivers
The senate has decried the high population of illiterate drivers manning several wheels and causing havoc across the country.
The condemnation
follows on a motion by Idris Umar (PDP, Gombe State) and supported by
nine other senators on the tanker fire tragedy in Gombe metropolis that
claimed the lives of over 15 persons last weekend.
“We have too many
illiterate drivers in this country,” the senate president, David Mark,
complained. He blamed most of the incidences of road accidents in the
country on the inability of most drivers to interprete road signs.
Thirteen people
were reportedly burnt to death and eight others were critically
injured, following a fire outbreak as a result of an accident by a
petrol tanker in the Gombe metropolis on Friday last week.
About forty houses
and properties estimated at over N1 billion were razed in the fire,
which started directly in front of the Specialist Hospital, Gombe,
after a tanker carrying diesel toppled.
The driver was said
to have travelled from Lagos with the diesel and was less than 20
minutes away from his destination when he lost control of the vehicle.
“What has happened
in Gombe has thrown up the failure in the system, which we have been
talking about in the senate,” Ayogu Eze (PDP, Enugu State) said.
“Something has gone wrong with our driving culture in Nigeria.”
He recommended that in addition to driving skills, drivers should also pass psychiatric test before they are given licences.
“Our basic
infrastructure – including roads – are in shambles and everybody is
stressed up and this stress reflects on our driving,” Mr. Eze argued.
The deputy senate
president, Ike Ekweremadu, however, blamed the incessant accidents on
poor planning of urban centres in most cities.
Give them fuel
Following the
motion, the senate had its traditional one minute silence for the
victims of the accident, and urged the federal government to supply
adequate fuel to depots across the country.
According to the
senate, building a fuel pipeline down to all the state capitals would
help to checkmate avoidable accident on the highways involving tankers
carrying fuel.
The senators also
suggested the federal government use rails to transport fuel to various
states, rather than the current method where tankers haul petroleum
products for long distances on bad raods.
Records show that
several petroleum product tanker accidents had occurred within the
Gombe metropolis in the past, but none has been as grievious and
monumental as this last accident.
The lawmakers also
decried the emergency response staged by the fire service, National
Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Road Safety Commission.
“Our emergency response is poor, if it even exists at all,” the senate president said.
The truth of the matter is that more than 50 people died. I do no know why in Nigeria we conceal the true state of issues like this. Countless people were rusted to ashes including several vehicles (one 18 seater buse and host of cars with ful passengers – not one escaped.
But the main cause of that accident – as its known – is tha fact that Gombe town is in a vally thereby making it very difficult for heavy trucks to pass by. There has been clamour for bypass roads in all the four directions surrounding the town for long. All successive governements including the present have refused to do those bypass roads. The result is what we are frequently witnessing including the most recent. The people of Gombe and indeed God almighty hold our leaders responsible for these avoidable losses. Instead of doing projects that will safe our people, they only undertake those that please them and their friends and families.
The Senate should rather ask the Gombe State Governemnt to immediately construct the bypass roads as a matter of urgency in order to forestall any future tragedy of this sort.