By Afolabi Aribigbola

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In recent times, Akungba-Akoko has been in the limelight not as a result the high academic rating for which Adekunle Ajasin University located in the community is noted for but rather for experiencing a number of avoidable accidents claiming the lives of members of the community and students. Between 2020 and early 2022, about six major accidents occurred with varying but high degrees of fatalities including the ugliest on January 23, 2021 that claimed the life of a former Students’ Union President, Adesomoju Oluwatobi Samuel popularly known as Sampraise. These notable and dangerous incessant road accidents in Akungba appeared to defy solutions and thus more accidents are occurring in the area.

Of course, accidents do occur and will continue to occur in human environments due to a number of factors, which experts in transportation studies and public safety have grouped into human, mechanical and environmental factors. Though accident is parts and parcel of human activities but the one in Akungba is unbecoming. As a matter of fact, attitude of members of the society and government at all levels towards the unwholesome development have not caused adequate actions to be deplored towards addressing the ugly trend. The portion of the road where the accidents normally happen in the area has become a black spot. A black spot is a portion of a road that is prone to more accidents than others because of its bad nature and condition in comparison to other similar areas. They are portions where accidents often occur and thus are designated as black spots to warm motorists and draw attention to its precarious state.

The incessant road accidents in Akungba have been adduced to a number factors associated with the location (slopping terrain) of the city. The city is located on a slope that has its peak close to the main gate of Adekunle Ajasin University. This steep slope descending to the city centre has been the cause of most accidents in the city. Most of the articulated vehicles also known as trailers when fully loaded, find it difficult to climb the hills or lose control when descending the slope into the city. Most of the accidents witnessed are from these scenarios.

Other causes include vehicle defects especially failure of brakes while ascending and descending the slope in the city. This factor has been exacerbated by human behaviour such as road encroachment, display of wares and goods on portions of the roads, road edge obstruction, inadequate road shoulders among others. Lack of planning and poor planning is another factor. The road passing the city was not designed to carry the kind of traffic it now carries and those heavy-duty vehicles ordinarily should not pass through Akungba road. They are supposed to pass though Ita Ipele/Isua/Kabba road that was designed to carry more traffic than Owo-Ikare Akoko road. Failure to impose regulations by the authority and refusal of motorist to obey traffic regulation is another factor instigating unending road carnage in Akungba.

The incessant road mishaps in Akungba and accompanied decimation of human lives have widespread implications on the development and sustainability of the community and particularly on the rising profile and rating of Adekunle Ajasin University, a 21st university properly called. The University has been rated the best state university consistently in the last ten years in Nigeria. Therefore, besides the ominous destruction of previous human lives and properties that have been recorded, it has a more far reaching effects on the health and prosperity of the budding university. It has the potency to scare away bright scholars and students that are the hallmarks of a citadel of learning. This will invariably affect the high performance on the local and international rating of the university that it is already enjoying being in the league of ten best universities in Nigeria. The cumulative effect is that it could retard the growth of the university business. Recently some individuals were appointed to academic positions but refuse to take them up because of insecurity

Indeed, since accidents are inevitable and people must travel from one location to the other coupled with the realization that it is impossible to completely stamp out road accidents and its fatalities, what most organized and prosperous societies do is to seek ways to drastically reduce accidents to the barest minimum. And when they occur , they quickly intervene to reduce fatalities and losses. This is the direction to go generally in addressing the issue of road accidents. This is what must be done in the case of Akungba Akoko.

Therefore, concerted efforts must be made to ensure significant reduction in road accidents in the area. Thank God the Governor of Ondo State has risen to the occasion. Now that the design of the road has been completed, the government should all within its powers to quickly dualize the road and cut the hills down substantially to reduce the slope of the hills.  In addition to improving the road by Ondo government, action and efforts should be made to disallow heavy duty trucks that have no business in the area from passing through the place. They should be made to follow Ita ipele/Isua.Kabba road designed for that purpose.

The human factor should also be addressed by forcing the drivers to comply with traffic regulations. Akoko South West Local Government should rise to the occasion and emplace traffic managementpractices in the area. They should not allow miscreants and touts to continue to make money at the expense of human lives. It is these touts that removed the barricade created to prevent heavy duties vehicle from passing the area. Also, the need to plan the Akungba road and make provisions for its growth and expansion in a desired way is also necessary.

Solving the Akungba traffic accidents requires genuine and sincere efforts and actions by all. The government should undertake the needful as the custodians of people’s wealth as well as those elected to protect the and safeguard the welfare of people. Thus, it is not time to sympathize and commiserate with the community and students of AAUA. It is time to take both proactive and concrete practical action to prevent reoccurrence of accident fatalities in Akungba.

All stakeholders in the place have a responsibility in one way or the other and must key into resolving the seemingly intractable ominous destruction. The state government that promptly responded that the design of the road is ready should quickly embark on the road improvement and dualization as promised. Motorists plying the road are to take more precautions, obey traffic regulations as well as ensure that their vehicles are in good conditions. Members of the community including students should guard against activities that can instigate and promote traffic accidents in the area. Display of wares and goods on the road must be stopped. More importantly is the need to replan the city to create a bypass that will take away traffic from the city.