Our good friend and brother, Danladi Ndayebo has left us. He becomes another casualty of all the things wrong with our country, from that time in 1981 when men of the Nigerian Police entered into infamy by killing the promising #DeleUdoh. Our roads devour our brightest stars on a daily basis and like the good citizens that we are, we rush to the gates of heaven with hands cupped in supplication for a great spot in Jannah or paradise. We cry online and wish the family of the dead fortitude…then we slack back into lethargy waiting for news of the next casualty. Everywhere we turn in Nigeria, there’s an accident waiting to happen.
I keep saying that Nigeria is the #serengeti of Africa. In that animal kingdom, a carnivore picks on a herbivore from the pack and all the others watch either in shock, bemusement or insouciance. The victim is devoured and the pack soon shakes off its lethargy and moves on, until they too become victims. Nobody asks questions and no-one is accountable, we accuse God of stealing the same ones that bring us joy. How can?
When will Nigerian roads stop consuming our best? When will the contractors start making good roads? When will government officials stop commissioning substandard projects that turns from roads to death traps after one rain? The Netherlands is founded on waters, but floods are rare. Portugal’s Lisbon is built in-between mountains and snarky roads but accidents are rare.
When will governments make the Ministry of Works truly work, fixing potholes before they become gullies?
When will our government evolve a system that tracks road usage dynamically? When will road safety be about road worthiness, vehicle security and not about changing number plates and schemes that make millionaires out of other people’s tragedies?
I live in a country where accidents are rare. When they occur, they make headlines and become subjects of intense enquiry. Many first responders are involved. First aid, ambulance (including air evacuation), the police, doctors and several other departments. An accident scene causes traffic jams as scenes are reconstructed, witnesses are interviewed and the names of victims are only announced after clarification from their relatives.
We need to start doing things differently. Nigeria was not like this at it’s onset, we need to get back to basics and grow.
May our prayers for Danladi be answered, but more than that, may we be able to roam this open country without the cannibals that makes it a nightmare for all wherever we turn.
- Tunde Asaju is a journalist, a blogger and Public Relations practitioner
