Annual Report for the Year Ended 2010 on Road Safety Efforts in Nigeria - APRI's Perspective

Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (APRI) is a Non-Governmental Organization promoting road safety efforts with office in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory. The organization is focused on efforts aimed at reducing the rate of road traffic accidents, injuries and death on Nigeria roads.

In the year 2010, the organization organized two (2) workshops for drivers and transport operators on safety of motorists and other class of road users and one (1) International Conference on Motor Vehicle Administration. The International Conference was in two segmental sessions – Plenary and Technical sessions and was organized for Federal and State/FCT Road Traffic Agencies including private sector stakeholders.

The conference was organized in partnership with the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, FCT and funded by the Federal Capital Territory Administration and Imo State Government respectively. Despite the relevance of the conference, not much logistic and or financial support was received from major stakeholders despite solicitation letters which were neither replied. This has been the ugly situation experienced in working for road safety project in Nigeria where apathy envelopes efforts. Where the contributions and efforts of road safety NGOs are rarely commended nor appreciated by those who benefit from the enduring advocacy of NGOs. 

Consequently, Road Safety efforts in Nigeria can be described as a lone effort considering the prevailing lack of political will by Government at all level to respond to critical issues that require intervention. This has contributed to few NGOs working in road safety sector including the lack of funding opportunities to promote efforts that will produce success thereby exposing road users to unending risks.

Unlike other health issues such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria, natural disaster among others, tackling the incidences of Road Traffic Accident and its victims has suffered tangible intervention by the international community and Government in Nigeria.

Nigeria roads with 200,000 km are ranked among the poorest in the world in terms of safety facilities, road network and management. This scenario is replicated in the regulation and enforcement of road transport activities. While many developing and developed countries have engaged in concerted efforts to reduce road traffic accidents, Nigeria seems not moving forward.

Despite many innocent souls being killed daily through road traffic accidents, the impact is not recognized by Government and the International community to initiate wide ranging policies that could halt or reduce the trend in Nigeria.

It is noted that Nigeria Government established institutions to regulate and enforce road safety in Nigeria but the adequate functionality of these institutions are neglected through poor funding, inadequate equipment and personnel and total disregard of human lives wasted as a result.

We note with appreciation how Government responds appropriately to disaster and other health issues but have neglected road traffic accidents which has neither received tangible response or prompt intervention particularly to the victims whose lives were wasted.

The situation where the institutions of road safety administration in Nigeria do not hold anyone accountable for road mishaps does not create any sense of responsibility for improvement. It is therefore our recommendation that Government create the enabling framework that holds its officer(s) accountable and responsible for road traffic accidents, injuries and deaths.

For instance, a bus belonging to a major road transporter killed forty five (45) innocent people travelling to Lagos along the southwest zone, no tangible action of Government was made to hold any one accountable except that the transporter was charged to court and made to pay N45,000.00 as fine. In that case he paid N1,000.00 for each life lost not minding that each of them may have paid above N1,000.00 as fare to the transporter. Same situation occurred in Lagos where over one hundred (100) people were killed, burnt and others injured, Government never held any of its officials accountable. The Lokoja incident where a truck belonging to a business mongul killed and injured over seventy (70) innocent poor people without any government official queried or held accountable, similar incident occurred in Madala where over fifty (50) people were killed and burnt to death, same in Enugu State where twenty five (25) people were killed,

It continued with thirty five (35) Okada riders killed  somewhere along Abaji, this is exclusive of other incidents of road traffic accidents occurring daily in numbers all over the State killing and injuring innocent road users and vehicle occupants while Government look the other way. These incidents, among others that occurred only in 2010 are quite provoking to road safety observers and advocates to demand obvious Government intervention to the safety of road users in Nigeria.

Road Safety Efforts in Nigeria and Responsive Agencies

There are three notable institutions of road traffic enforcement agencies in Nigeria that constituted to provide safety for road users: Nigeria Police Force (Motor Traffic Division), Federal Road Safety Commission and the State/FCT owned Road Traffic Agency, popularly called Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO).

The Nigeria Police (Motor Traffic Division) is responsible for road traffic control, prosecution in court of road traffic violators (offenders) and at all times enquire from drivers, the autencity or status of particulars of vehicle owners and such functions that ensure safety of road users. They are the primary enforcement agency of all laws of the Federal, State and Local Government in Nigeria.

However, the Police have been proactive in crime prevention, security and prosecution of such crimes that affects lives and properties with little or no improvement in road traffic safety enforcement. The traffic warden under the police supervision are highly engaged in collecting handouts from traffic offenders than hand them over for prosecution. They lack training and motivation in the performance of road traffic control and have become a tool in the hands of overzealous drivers that violate road traffic laws with impunity. The Police Motor Traffic Division lacks personnel and equipment and is inadequately involved in road traffic safety but responds swiftly when road accidents occur.

In the same vein, the Federal Road Safety Commission assumes responsibility for safety of road users in all roads but are yet to meet with the challenges caused by  lack of adequate personnel and equipment and are under funded by the Federal Government to meet with the growing challenges of road traffic accidents, injuries and deaths. The Commission has been effective in rescue operation than road traffic accident prevention. This is evident by the growing road obstructions on high ways caused by parking of articulated trucks by truck drivers, the occupation of roads by road side traders, abandoned vehicles, potholes, lack of road signs to warn road users, lack of modern equipment to monitor and apprehend over speeding drivers, drunk driving and drug use is rampant among some commercial drivers that result in frequent accidents that kill innocent vehicle occupants.

The roads lack pedestrian bridges or zebra crossings that result to hit and run accidents, road transport regulation in some States is abysmal while State Governors treat road traffic accident as mere natural disaster that cannot be prevented or avoided. This trend should be reversed in response to International demands.

The role of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) as the lead agency in the regulation and enforcement of road traffic safety on all roads (Federal and State Roads) has received fierce challenges from the State Road Traffic Agencies who claims responsibility of State Roads, describing the claim of the FRSC as an incursion that breaches or conflicts with the constitutional powers of State to control their roads. This is a major conflict in the administration of road safety in Nigeria to the disadvantage of road user’s safety. Many efforts has been made by the hierarchy of  FRSC to bring sanity but the State Road Traffic agencies insist on taking charge of their roads even though they are very very poor in personnel, funding and equipment with no regard to their functions by their respective State Government. We demand passionately that State Governors should take responsibility for road traffic accidents, injuries and deaths that occur on the roads of their jurisdiction.

The Nigeria constitution and relevant road traffic laws of Nigeria are not ambiguous over these issues, but the attitude of the FRSC to enforce safety on State roads, particularly those that have been neglected by the respective State Government can be understood considering that some State Governments are quite negligent over their roles to regulate and enforce road traffic safety on the roads within their jurisdiction. In some States, there are one or two State road traffic officers (VIOs) where there are over 100,000 vehicles plying their roads with daily incidents of road traffic accident, injuries and deaths. This brings to question the role and capacity of Vehicle Inspection Officers of States in the inspection of vehicles as stipulated by law for safety of vehicle occupants and other class of road users. Vehicle Inspection is functional in few States and the Federal Capital Territory. This is not healthy for road users.

The partnership between the Federal Road Safety Commission and the State Road Traffic Agency in the issuance of drivers license and vehicle registration plate numbers are among major issues that require the intervention of Government as the situation has created the circulation of unathorized drivers license and vehicle registration plate numbers making it difficult to identify such drivers and vehicles involved in road traffic accidents. This has affected greatly efforts to institute insurance compensation claims for road traffic victims and affect data collation of road traffic accidents.

Driver license and vehicle plate numbers along with road taxes are major sources of road traffic revenue and form the background of the existing conflict between the Federal and State road traffic agencies and the situation has made none of the two agencies responsible for the flaws in the administration of drivers licensing and vehicle plate number registration process. Because of the shared responsibility in the production and sale of vehicle plate numbers and drivers license, including the rigorous procedure for obtaining them, a thriving market emerged for syndicates producing unauthorized driver’s license and vehicle registration number plates which have enabled unqualified persons to obtain them at ease.

Further to that, the use of driver’s license for identification purposes, particularly in banking transactions is another factor that should be strengthened to deter non-drivers from its possession. This is a huge revenue loss to Government and is among causes of road traffic accidents in Nigeria. Government should strengthen modalities for obtaining driver license along with vehicle number plates to curtail unauthorized production and sale of such security instrument by syndicates.

In this respect, we recommend that the production, issuance and sale of driver’s license and vehicle plate numbers should be the responsibility of Federal or State as may be deemed appropriate and the prevailing partnership in the process should be disregarded and discontinued to instill responsibility and accountability to whosoever is signatory and producer of such instrument. Such responsible officer can be held accountable for unauthorized production and circulation of these vital government properties that are responsible for instilling discipline and safety of road users. The present shared responsibility in the production and sale of vehicle plate numbers and drivers license between the FRSC and State VIOs is not extended to restitution of damages caused by such shared responsibility as both agencies operate on separate laws and regulations. The Nigeria society and human rights organizations crave for a single agency to administer the production and issuance of vehicle plate numbers and drivers license for the purpose of responsibility and accountability.      

Emergency Response for Road Traffic Victims

Emergency medical services for road traffic accident victims in hospitals should be free.  A situation where road traffic accident victims are brought to hospitals and denied treatment on financial grounds should be discouraged by both private and public hospitals. The Federal and State Government should create a revolving medical fund for hospitals to provide free treatment for victims of road traffic accident in Nigeria. The Federal Road Safety Commission should as a matter of urgency cause the amendment of their act to include providing free emergency medical services to victims to ensure that lives that could have been saved are not lost on financial grounds.

Road Traffic Accident is avoidable and preventable. Its causes are known, they are not mysterious but are self induced and can be controlled with the political will of Government. Germany is a good example; they have the highest alcohol consumption but the lowest in road traffic accidents, injuries and death rate. The insinuation by some section of the society that road traffic accident is an act of God is a myth. By the World Health Organization’s reports that road traffic accident is caused, preventable and avoidable but require Government political will to tackle it, We appeal for Government to demonstrate the political will to tackle road traffic accidents, injuries and deaths in 2011.

The Way Forward

The Federal and State Government road traffic and safety agencies should realign to ensure safety of road users. The primary consideration of Government is the safety of lives and properties of its citizens and this should be demonstrated in the safety of lives and properties of road users.

Government Road Traffic agencies should enforce all laws and regulations that will ensure safety of road users but should respect their respective jurisdiction by working in harmony to achieve the desired objectives of road safety for road users. The primary responsibility is for the agencies to enforce and hand offenders over to the respective agency, either of Federal or State. This will improve confidence and motivate officers to be dedicated to their services to road users and their employers.

Government should adhere to International resolutions and strategies on road safety. Nigeria is among member States of the United Nation, African Union and ECOWAS whose resolutions demand implementation by Nigeria Government. Such regulations are herewith attached for your kind consumption and action.

Accordingly, Nigeria Government should emulate countries that have succeeded in road traffic accident prevention and reduced road traffic injuries and deaths.

The Federal Road Safety Commission, by virtue of global best practices, should be positioned to provide regulatory and advisory services, conduct research and training for State/FCT Road Traffic agencies and ensure safety regulations are enforced by States/FCT. This is in consonance with global best practices. The National Road Safety Commission of Ghana should be emulated as well as the American Motor Vehicle Administration structure. The repositioning of FRSC will reduce the prevailing friction caused by duplication of functions between the Federal Road Safety Commission and the State/FCT Road Traffic Agency and will create a sense of responsibility in tackling road traffic accidents, injuries and deaths in Nigeria. The FRSC should be relocated to the Ministry of Road Transport under a Minister of Road Transportation which can be created for the interest of road safety regulation in Nigeria.

The present supervisor of the Commission, Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) under the Presidency since 1988, has not raised the functions of the Commission to compliment road safety efforts in view of the uncoordinated and dysfunctional collaboration between the Federal and State agencies resulting to huge human and material losses in road traffic accidents.

The Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Council of States should use his good and viable office to advice and direct State Governors to rise to the challenge of tackling road traffic accidents within their respective States as provided in the Constitution and relevant road traffic laws of Nigeria towards saving the lives of road users. They should embark on regulating road transport activities towards achieving safety of road users as road users can no longer wish to be slaughtered through road traffic accidents that are preventable and avoidable. It is obvious that the international community and human rights organizations are watching road safety situations in Nigeria.

Reported by Prince Fidelis Nnadi for Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative. +2348037051384