Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Mr. James Ocholi, his wife and one of his sons died in a ghastly vehicular crash penultimate Sunday at Rigana village on the Kaduna- Abuja Highway when his official Lexus LX570 sports utility vehicle (SUV) had a burst tyre and somersaulted several times. Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, a day after, (Monday), gave an interim report on the fatal crash, fingering a combination of factors as responsible for the accident, chief among which was over-speeding. Mr. Taiwo James Elegbede, the minister’s driver, had no valid driver’s licence, according to the FRSC. Oyeyemi said Elegbede lacked sufficient experience and was panic-stricken after the tyre burst, leading to his hard application of the brakes, loss of control and the tragic end. Other findings revealed by the FRSC were that the lack of radio communication made it impossible for Ocholi’s back-up vehicle driver to inform the minister’s driver that the left tyre of the SUV was under-inflated when he noticed it; that the tyres of the minister’s vehicle were wrongly fixed; as well as failure of the Ocholis to use seat belts. A day after the death of the Ocholis (Monday), reports had it that the Deputy Governor of Yobe state, Abubakar Ali, was involved in an auto accident when his vehicle collided with a Toyota Avensis in Daka-Tsalle town, along Kaduna- Kano expressway. The impact was obviously not much as Ali’s convoy was believed to have continued its trip to Kano, where the Deputy Governor was visiting to condole with Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, who lost his mother lately. But the Chief of Training and Operations, Nigerian Army, Major-General Yusha’u Mahmood Abubakar was not as lucky as the Yobe Deputy Governor.
The Army said Abubakar died in another road crash along Maiduguri-Damaturu highway Tuesday, March 8. The late Abubakar was said to have commanded ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’, a major military action against Islamist Boko Haram insurgents. Accidents are bound to happen, except that a whole lot of them arise from human error; and are therefore, avoidable. Many have become weary of complaining about the very reckless driving that has been the pastime of the chauffeurs of most, if not all political office holders. In the process, they endanger the lives of not just their principals, but those of other road users. The blaring of sirens, dangerous manoeuvrings and harassment of other road users by their convoys – all conveys the impression that the wheels are obedient to the reckless drivers; that their bosses own the roads; and that life has a duplicate. If they are driving within the city, other road users are hounded out of their lanes. Those not fast enough to clear for them are dragged out of their vehicles and flogged with horsewhips. Indeed, the mood of the average Nigerian political office holder on the road is that of one running away from sworn enemies. The enemies would include not just common criminals and political foes, but Nigerian people that they are meant to serve; and whose interest they swear to high heavens they are out to protect. Whereas this has remained the common experience year-in-yearout, the FRSC cannot thumb its chest as yet as having registered any significant impact in reining in the excesses of official convoys. Not in courtesy or respect for the motoring public; or as responsible public road users that consciously desire to arrive safely at their destinations. The confusion created by reckless convoy driving led to the deaths of Victor Umoren and his three-month pregnant wife, Naomi (nee Wigwe), along Lagos- Epe Expressway on December 23, 2000 in an accident involving the convoy of then Minister for Co-operation and Integration for Africa, Chief Dapo Sarumi.
Two convoy accidents involving former Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State first claimed the life of his Aide de Camp (ADC) in December 2012; and less than a year after, that of Professor Festus Iyayi, an academic and former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Indeed, the list is endless. The unfortunate deaths of the Ocholis and Abubakar are just the latest. This ought to be of concern to all political office holders now grieving for the dead. They should reflect soberly, not necessarily on the dead, but on themselves and the way they treat the public. The FRSC should also realise that official convoys need as much training and orientation as others, perhaps more than ordinary citizens, on what constitutes safe and responsible conducts on public roads. We condole with all the bereaved families for the loss of their beloved ones.
