The yuletide is traditionally characterised with increased hustle and bustle especially in the transport sector as commercial drivers get very busy, transporting commuters, goods and services nationwide.
Travelers in this year’s “EMBER” months are however faced with challenges of kidnappings and bad roads on the nation’s highway.
Correspondent Isaac Afolabi spoke with relevant stakeholders on their expectations for safe travels during this festive season.
Security no doubt is a major concern to all Nigerians, no thanks to the recent #EndSARS protest which again affected the schedule of security agencies especially those manning the nation’s highways.
In the next few days of the year, the traffic would become heavier as travelers move from one state to another either for business purposes or in the mood of the yuletide for vacation with families and friends.
There are however concerns about the safety of travelers owing to reports of incessant kidnappings and accidents on the highways.
A commercial driver who plies the Akure-Benin highway, Mr Temitope Daniel said they always travel in fear on the road with an appeal that the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, cut bushes along the roads to expose hideouts of the kidnappers.
A respondent, Mrs Nneka Anumbar said irrespective of the challenges she would still travel to spend the season with her family members but advocated professional approach from security officials deployed to major highways in the country.
She pointed attention to situations whereby security agents mounting roadblocks on inappropriate places on the roads thus making heavy duty vehicles struggle with small vehicles which sometimes result in trailers ramming into those small vehicles and wasting people’s lives.
On vehicles maintenance, another respondent, Mr Kayode Williams wanted the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW in collaboration with the FRSC to make it mandatory that only road-worthy vehicles and drivers are allowed to take passengers from the motor parks.
All efforts to have the comments of Ondo State Sector of the FRSC on the sector’s plan for safe travels in its jurisdiction was not successful.
Isaac Afolabi
