From Victor  Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
|
The menace of  articulated drivers on Nigerian roads has been identified as a major factor limiting the life expectancy of  Nigerian citizens. On daily basis, the future of priceless Nigerians with flourishing careers are being guillotined due to factors that have made our roads the highways to the grave.

The memory of Saturday January 12, 2019 will continue to linger  in the minds of the people of Iworoko Ekiti as well as the entire residents of Ekiti State. The horrific accident which  was said to be first of its kind in the history of the university town, as it thrown the community into deep mourning, sorrow and sadness.

The tragic accident which claimed  lives of 14 members of the community including a member of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) thrown the community  into a sorrowful state with social, transport and economic activities paralysed for days.

Few hours after the  incident, aggrieved  youths of the town barricaded the dual carriageway that lead to the community  and the  neighbouring towns to show their anger towards the tragic loss of their loved ones.

The ugly incident was allegedly caused by a sudden brake failure of an articulated vehicle fully loaded with food stuff crushed into three shops and a commercial small bus known  as “Akoto, in local parlance which had some passengers onboard and rammed into a mini market at the centre of the town.

One of the shops, a barbing saloon, was densely crowded with residents and students of the Ekiti State University charging their cell phones inside and outside it.

When Journalists visited the scene of the accident, a resident of the community, Kehinde Adewale,  said the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU),  saved the day  as there would have been more casualties,  the market where the truck rammed into used to be densely populated with many students whenever the school is on session.

Also speaking, an Octogenerian in the town who gave her name as Mrs Adepeju Kasali, disclosed that she lost her  granddaughter  Funmi in the incident, weeped profusely, said she was fast asleep in her house located  at 4, Layelu Street  at about 8:45pm when she heard a loud noise from the market Iworoko  side.

Describing the accident as a tragic one, the Octogenarian, in an emotional laden  voice said the death of the  deceased who was the only daughter of her mother that  also died three years ago in a road accident along Okene/Kabba/Lokoja road had put the family into another mourning.

When our correspondent visited the Ekiti  State Teaching Hospital,  Ado-Ekiti where the survivors were currently receiving treatment, a worker in the hospital who did not want his name mentioned in the print, said apart from the corpses of the deceased that were deposited in the morgue of the hospital, the survivors were also admitted into the Accident Emergency Unit of the hospital where they are currently recuperating.

He disclosed that 12 bodies of those  who  lost their lives in the accident, including a boy who was identified as a student of Ekiti State University, were deposited at the morgue of the hospital.

Speaking with our reporter at the EKSUTH male ward, a survivor of the accident, Mr Owolabi Dotun narrated his ordeal and attributed his survival to act of God’s, mercy and favour.

Dotun explained that he left  his house located few meters away to the market with the intention to charge his phone due to power outage in the community for some days.

His words: “On that day there was no light on my phone, so I decided to go and charge my cell phone in one of my friends’ shop, who operate a barbing saloon very closed to the market.

“I have plugged my phone and was about coming out of the shop when I heard a loud noise, when I looked up, suddenly I saw the truck already lost control and coming towards my direction, but before I could ran away, the wall of the building of the shop fell on my leg. That is all I know, the next place I found myself is this hospital”,  he stated.

Another survivor of the accident, an eight-year-old teenage girl, Egunlusi Wumi, explained that she was at the Iworoko mini market with her grandmother and cousin who died in the accident when the truck on motion swerved and rammed into the market.

Wumi added that while she was trying to escape from the scene having seen her grandma and cousin died, she fell into a drainage where she had one of her legs broken.

She said: “I was rescued from the scene by some unidentified sympathisers to the hospital”.

Another survivor, Akanni Amusa Omolayo, a security guard with a private  Nursery and Primary School in the community,  disclosed that the accident which  came up few months after  he lost his wife caught him unawares.

“I was coming from the market side and heading towards the Alaworoko’s palace when I heard a noise from the spot of the accident.

“Before I couldn’t turn back to see what was  happening, the truck had crushed many people, it was when I was trying to escape that  I rammed into a small dish by the road side in the area.  I give glory to Almighty God for sparing my life till this moment”, he said.

The relatives of the survivors could not hide their joy as they showered encomium on the Ekiti State Government and commended the timely efforts of Governor Kayode Fayemi and the Iworoko community for the quick response and prompt intervention

The event however turned  to another dimension on the third day, following the death of the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Michael Olufemi Aladejana. News of death  filtered into the town at about 8am  and  generated more reactions from the people of the town and the entire Ekiti state in general. The monarch was alleged to have died  of shock from the accident. Although, he was said to be sick but the accident aggravated his death.

The most pathetic aspect of the story was that the people of the community especially the youths did not hesitate before they could begin the traditional rites for the late Oba who has ruled the community for about 35 years.

When journalists visited the town at about 12 noon on the fateful day, the traditional rites  begun with the cutting of the trees and blockage of the dual carriage way Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki highway as a way of paying last respect to the departed king.

Youths and other age groups  trooped to the streets in a carnival-like ceremony killing house pets like goats and sheep sighted roaming about as tradition

Following the death of the monarch, Ekiti State Government promptly release a press release, signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, consoled with the people of the community over the death of the traditional ruler.

Though, the Governor who had earlier directed his Deputy, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, to pay condolence visit to the community on Sunday morning, before the death of the monarch said in the statement that he was saddened and disheartened by the news of the fatal accident.

Fayemi who noted that many lives had been lost to the recklessness of many trailer drivers, said government might be compelled to re-introduce some old laws and previous arrangements to deal with the menace.

He urged the community leaders and families of the victims of the accident to remain calm even as “we collectively mourn the death of our beloved ones in the unfortunate incident.”

The Governor lamented: “This is a huge tragedy and a painful experience, not only for the families of the victims but for all of us”.

“We share with the people of Iworoko and families of the victims the pain and sorrow of the unfortunate development. Government will also look at areas of support with a view to ameliorating the pains.”

Deputy Governor Egbeyemi visited the hospital along Adebayo area of the state capital and assured casualties that the bills would be paid by the state government.

Describing the accident as the most fatal in the last few years in the state, he prayed that God would grant the relatives of the deceased the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ekiti State Command, Mr. Kuku Ismaila,  while speaking with  The Hope confirmed that 14 people died while five others were injured in the accident.

He called on drivers to always check their vehicle properly before embarking on any journey. Describing the accident as the most fatal in the last few years in the state,  prayed that God would grant the relatives of the deceased the fortitude to bear the lost.

Similarly, leader of the Tipper Drivers Union in the state, Comrade Ganiyu Tijani, disclosed that the driver of the ill-fated truck must have dozed off before how rammed into the  market.

Tijani said: “I want to believe that the driver of the truck must have slept off before he rammed it into the market. If not, he would have been able to manoeuvre the truck and hit at the culvert on the road and prevented this tragedy”.

“The fact that the vehicle jumped over the road and ran into the market speaks volumes about the driver’s alleged carelessness”