By Fr. Vincent Iwuchkwu
Road accident is one of the major causes of death in Nigeria. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed that the total number of road traffic crashes in Q2 2024 was 2,404, indicating a decrease of 9.69% from the previous quarter (Q1) which recorded 2,662 and an 18.98% fall from 2,967 in Q2 2023. Of all crashes, serious cases stood top in Q2 2024 with 1,525 compared to fatal and minor cases with 661 and 218 respectively. This year 2025 alone, we have had disastrous road mishaps all over the country. And this is a great cause for worry. Of the casualties recorded so far in 2025, the road accident at Ugwu Onyeama axis of Enugu-Onitsha Expressway on the 25th of January, that involved the explosion of a heavy duty truck loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which burnt vehicles and passengers alike beyond recognition, seemed to be one of the scariest. Besides this incidence of 25th January 2025, Ugwu Onyeama is a name synonymous to road accidents of different degrees. Many families have lost breadwinners and loved ones on this road, and families have been entirely wiped out on this road too. Many have lost goods worth millions of naira as well, thanks to these incessant fatalities. Without exaggeration, it seems that no week ever passes without a case of road casualties on this hilly road. And what worries the people the most is the reoccurring nature of these road mishaps which have led to speculations and theories as to the cause of accidents.
Our people most often attribute bad omens to spirits. No wonder that in the mind of many persons, the road accidents on Ugwu Onyeama expressway are caused by blood sucking demons and spirits that are on blood-hunting spree. Many have tried to substantiate this claim by pointing to the seeming patterns of how these accidents happen and the season these disasters take place. So, some blame evil spirits and are suggesting prayer and deliverance for the road. But are the gods to be blamed?
The Ugwu Onyeama road sits on a hilly terrain, making it dangerously fit for the many heavy duty trucks plying it on daily basis. One will never doubt the busy nature of that road since it is a gateway to the business city of Onitsha (the largest market in the South East), connecting to South-West and the Northern Nigeria, and most importantly, a walkway for various heavy duty trucks whose industries and company are situated at 9th Mile Corner (an emerging industrial hub in Enugu). That expressway is a poor copy of what should be leading into the city of Enugu, the old Eastern capital. It has been abandoned by successive Federal Government regimes and even when work commences on the road, it moves at a snail’s pace, typical of the usual neglect of South East zone. Currently one of the lanes lies in shambles. Laced with ditches as potholes, it is unmotorable thereby forcing both ongoing and oncoming vehicles to make use of the other better lane. Thanks to MTN takeover of the road project, one of the dual carriages has been well built.
Ever since I packed into Iva Pottery (a semi-rural settlement overlooking the Ugwu Oyeama road) and had to frequent the Ugwu Onyeama expressway, I have noticed a disturbing trend on that road –the recklessness of the drivers. On that expressway drivers exhibit skills akin to what you find in 007 movies and the expertise of Lewis Hamilton. Apart from over speeding, many of the drivers do not keep to traffic rules and road signs. For example, we are told not to drink if you have to drive. But we even end up drinking “one for the road!” Who cares? Moreover, some of these heavy duty vehicle drivers not only drink, they are high on substances. And they feel invulnerable sitting high up there. Regrettably too, many of these cars and trucks plying the Ugwu Onyeama route are as bad and rickety as the other lane of that road. The only worthiness they possess is their semblance with the bad state of the road. Little wonder the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) have looked the other way. Thus, allowing them to become prospering weapons fashioned against other road users. In what looks like a comedy, a week before the Jan 25th inferno, it was gathered that a truck carrying PMS tipped off and many passers-by rushed to scoop free fuel. But one may ask what if the truck had caught fire? Who would be blamed? The sleeping trouble or the iyanga wey go wake am? Even after video footages of scenes where people who came to scoop fuel were roasted to death emerged online, our people still pay deaf ears and blind eyes, and have continued to rush to truck-fallen scenes to scoop fuel. Furthermore, the military checkpoints on some of these steep roads have contributed in no small means to road fatalities. On many occasions have accidents occurred because a heavy duty truck was trying to navigate through the road blocks or trying to slow down before imminent checkpoints. The one that happened on the 12th of June 2024 would never be forgotten in a hurry. A priest friend of mine was involved in the ghastly motor accident though he came out of it unscathed.
In the face of all these, without pragmatic multi-dimensional measures the tragic loss of lives through road accidents will continue on Ugwu Onyeama unabated. To begin with, the State Government should give an Executive Order prohibiting heavy duty trucks from operating during the day time. Let them be restricted to work only at night. The government should enforce anti-spill locks (a mechanism that prevents spilling of inflammable substances) on fuel tankers and dismantle all checkpoints on such sensitive places. The road users ought to drive responsibly. Always be a brother’s keeper as you make use of the road. Drive in such a way that you will live to drive another day. Again, the government ought to speed up the completion of that road project for easy movement of vehicles and haulage. Above all, prayers against consistent accidents on that road can’t be neglected at all, for God’s protection against thousands of snares of the devil. It is never out of place to pray for road safety even as we play our own human parts. Prayers ought to be offered to ameliorate the spate of accidents. But after praying rosary and may be even celebrating mass on the road, and we refuse to heed to basic traffic rules, learn and apply proper road usage as drivers, doing regular vehicle maintenance as well, of what use will that be?
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