Sir, it is widely known that road accidents have become an omnipresent phenomena in every nook and cranny of Nigeria’s main roads claiming so many lives and causing injuries.
Most of these death-dealing, incessant, day-to-day crashes are bred by tricycle operators, known as Keke Napep, that are either youths or those who are underage or ineligible to drive that are not aware of traffic rules and regulations fully.
On November 12, 2021, five persons lost their lives and three others were critically injured near Gubi village, along Bauchi-Kano road, when a Keke Napep had a head-on collision with a commercial bus in Bauchi State.
On March 4 also, six passengers of a Keke Napep, including an infant, were reported to have died in a ghastly auto crash in Aba city of Abia State when a towing truck collided with two Keke Napeps on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
Sir, it is agonizing to note that the majority of these tricycle operators are unfortunately listening to ear-splitting music while driving which distracts them from potential hazards around them culminating in deadly crashes.
It is palpable that educating tricycle operators weekly or monthly on road safety rules or proper use of the roads and highways is among the major tasks of your commission aimed to prevent or minimize daily nagging accidents across the country.
The FRSC should make attending driving schools for tricycle operators compulsory so as to keep all Nigerians safe on our roads. In many countries, drivers’ education is required by law before a drivers’ license is issued.
Sir, permit me to conclude by suggesting that your commission should organize special seminars weekly or monthly for Nigeria’s tricycle operators across the country to educate them on traffic rules. Participating in these crucial seminars should be compulsory for every tricycle operator.
Mustapha Baba Azare Alkali Musa Street, Bauchi State
