Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has paid a condolence visit to Epe township over the unfortunate traffic accident that occurred on Monday, November 11, 2024, which claimed some lives, while others sustained varied degrees of injuries, saying that it was crucial for both the government and the citizens to collaborate against reckless driving.
The deputy governor said this while addressing newsmen after a special prayer session organized in memory of the accident victims, pointing out that this needed to be done to prevent accidents and ensure safety of all road users.
According to Hamzat, the safety of citizens is a collaborative effort, adding that citizens must support the government and traffic officials when taking action against reckless driving, overloading unnecessarily, over speeding, and driving under the influence of alcohol, which he said were the major causes of accidents.
“We just want to appeal to people to always be patient. However, certain actions must be taken to prevent such occurrences. The cause of this unfortunate incident, may not be unconnected to reckless driving, overloading, and negligence.
“Therefore, when some actions are taken by the government or traffic officials, it is wrong to bring sentiment that, wouldn’t they eat. This is not right to say,” the deputy governor said.
The deputy governor highlighted what the state government had been doing in curbing reckless driving, saying that the state had an agency called Lagos State Drivers Institute which trains, retrains, and recertifies professional drivers to be able to drive safely on the road to avoid unnecessary accidents.
According to him, the agency has been partnering with companies that have trucks, especially with companies that have high numbers of trucks to ensure that they comply, saying that their drivers visit the agency for proper training and certification before driving.
Hamzat disclosed that nine of the accident victims had been discharged while some of them were taken to other hospitals for further treatment.
He, therefore, prayed that Allah would give the families of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss and grant the injured quick recovery.
In his remarks, a member of the Representatives representing Epe Federal Constituency, Hon. Wale Raji, stated that the citizens should look at the circumstances of what led to the incident and take a lesson from it, noting that proper maintenance of vehicles, obeying traffic rules, among others should be paramount to avoid such occurrences.
The lawmaker stated that drivers must be held accountable for any of their actions while using the road, adding that there must be compensation for the affected people.
“If a vehicle should hit someone and kill the person, we say it is God’s will. Such drivers must be held responsible for everything and there must be compensation for the people that are affected,” Raji said.
He, however, commended the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation for its effective response all through the accident.
Also speaking, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Epe Constituency I, Hon. Abiodun Tobun, described the incident as painful and pathetic and, therefore, commiserated with the families of the departed ones.
Tobun said that the state government needed to improve and equip the activities of its rescue response team and also make provision for parking space for trailers to avoid parking anyhow.
The lawmaker stressed that it was wrong for trailers passing through the community in broad daylight, saying this development had continued to endanger the lives of the citizens.
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