Falling containers on Lagos roads
NaijaRock
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Posted by Felix Okoli on Saturday September 5, 2015 at 9:1:27:
A few days ago, I read a news report about how a container first fell off a bridge in Lagos state and then landed on top of 2 vehicles on another road and killed their occupants. The first vehicle which was a jeep was totally crushed while the second one was only crushed partially. The occupants of the jeep died on the spot and were unidentifiable while there was a survivor in the second vehicle. It was a terrible experience and many Nigerians gathered around the bridge laying curses on the Lagos state government for not making laws that would make roads safer for ordinary people.Lagos state was formerly the capital state of Nigeria before that honour was given to Abuja but Lagos still remains the commercial capital and hosts the biggest and largest sea ports in Nigeria since it's located by the sea. A lot items which are imported into Nigeria through the sea first arrive in Lagos mostly at Apapa and they come in heavy iron containers which are in different sizes before being transported on trucks to warehouses in different parts of Nigeria.As a result of the business opportunities found in Lagos and existing infrastructure in terms of good roads and housing, a lot of Nigerians have made it their home and it is gradually turning it into a mega city. The state has over 17 million people based on a census done in 2006.One big problem that Lagos state has is the issue of falling containers especially on high ways. There has been a lot of reports about containers and truck carrying containers falling on major roads and ending up causing traffic as well as accidents which are mostly fatal. Truck carrying containers in Lagos state are like a death trap to motorists and many driver tend to avoid going close to them because of the feeling or knowledge that some of them are unlatched or unsafe. At times trucks develop a brake problem and at times it's the tires and it ends up killing a lot of innocent and law abiding people.If the people who were recently crushed to death at Ojuelegba while driving their SUV jeep knew that would be their last day, they probably would not have gone out that day. They had their seat belts on, avoided using the bridge, stopped at traffic lights, had their driving license but unknown to them, a deadly missile was falling upon them from the sky and it was something that could have been prevented by a loving and caring government through legislation but it was not so.A lot of trucks used in Lagos state to carry containers are not in good condition and I think it's normal for laws to be made to get off old trucks from the road. They should also be routes through which container laden trucks should not be allowed to pass just to protect Lagos residents. I believe that people resident in a state have a right to be protected by the state government but in Lagos state, one wonders what the lawmakers are doing to prevent such container related accidents in the first place. I'm not sure that there are any existing laws that protect car drivers on Lagos roads from container laden trucks. For one, I would want a ban placed on trucks carrying containers from using the bridges except in cases where the bridge passes over water and there are no alternatives. At the Ojuelegba bridge in Western Avenue for instance, if there was an existing law and barrier preventing containers from accessing the bridge, that container would have not climbed in and human lives would not have been wasted.When people die as a result of using facilities provided by the government, it's mostly as a result of factors that are man made and could have been prevented in the first place. If I was asked to lay a blame on why fatal accidents caused by falling containers in Lagos state, I would blame it mostly on the government because it doesn't seem that there are laws that prevent those things from happening in the first place and if there were laws, it doesn't seem like it's being executed properly. I would also lay the blame partially n the importers and people transporting the container. I don't think people like that should be let go scot free and just say it's the will of God. People should be made to pay a heavy fine or punishment for accidents they've caused that results in the loss of human lives.It's possible to prevent or at least reduce the cases of falling containers in Lagos. The government needs to do more to protect the ordinary people who are law abiding and pay their taxes.
A few days ago, I read a news report about how a container first fell off a bridge in Lagos state and then landed on top of 2 vehicles on another road and killed their occupants. The first vehicle which was a jeep was totally crushed while the second one was only crushed partially. The occupants of the jeep died on the spot and were unidentifiable while there was a survivor in the second vehicle. It was a terrible experience and many Nigerians gathered around the bridge laying curses on the Lagos state government for not making laws that would make roads safer for ordinary people.Lagos state was formerly the capital state of Nigeria before that honour was given to Abuja but Lagos still remains the commercial capital and hosts the biggest and largest sea ports in Nigeria since it's located by the sea. A lot items which are imported into Nigeria through the sea first arrive in Lagos mostly at Apapa and they come in heavy iron containers which are in different sizes before being transported on trucks to warehouses in different parts of Nigeria.As a result of the business opportunities found in Lagos and existing infrastructure in terms of good roads and housing, a lot of Nigerians have made it their home and it is gradually turning it into a mega city. The state has over 17 million people based on a census done in 2006.One big problem that Lagos state has is the issue of falling containers especially on high ways. There has been a lot of reports about containers and truck carrying containers falling on major roads and ending up causing traffic as well as accidents which are mostly fatal. Truck carrying containers in Lagos state are like a death trap to motorists and many driver tend to avoid going close to them because of the feeling or knowledge that some of them are unlatched or unsafe. At times trucks develop a brake problem and at times it's the tires and it ends up killing a lot of innocent and law abiding people.If the people who were recently crushed to death at Ojuelegba while driving their SUV jeep knew that would be their last day, they probably would not have gone out that day. They had their seat belts on, avoided using the bridge, stopped at traffic lights, had their driving license but unknown to them, a deadly missile was falling upon them from the sky and it was something that could have been prevented by a loving and caring government through legislation but it was not so.A lot of trucks used in Lagos state to carry containers are not in good condition and I think it's normal for laws to be made to get off old trucks from the road. They should also be routes through which container laden trucks should not be allowed to pass just to protect Lagos residents. I believe that people resident in a state have a right to be protected by the state government but in Lagos state, one wonders what the lawmakers are doing to prevent such container related accidents in the first place. I'm not sure that there are any existing laws that protect car drivers on Lagos roads from container laden trucks. For one, I would want a ban placed on trucks carrying containers from using the bridges except in cases where the bridge passes over water and there are no alternatives. At the Ojuelegba bridge in Western Avenue for instance, if there was an existing law and barrier preventing containers from accessing the bridge, that container would have not climbed in and human lives would not have been wasted.When people die as a result of using facilities provided by the government, it's mostly as a result of factors that are man made and could have been prevented in the first place. If I was asked to lay a blame on why fatal accidents caused by falling containers in Lagos state, I would blame it mostly on the government because it doesn't seem that there are laws that prevent those things from happening in the first place and if there were laws, it doesn't seem like it's being executed properly. I would also lay the blame partially n the importers and people transporting the container. I don't think people like that should be let go scot free and just say it's the will of God. People should be made to pay a heavy fine or punishment for accidents they've caused that results in the loss of human lives.It's possible to prevent or at least reduce the cases of falling containers in Lagos. The government needs to do more to protect the ordinary people who are law abiding and pay their taxes.