[size=14pt]80% road accidents caused by human factor – Agwu

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http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/12/80-road-accidents-caused-by-human-factor-agwu/

Lagos State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Mr. Jonas Agwu, has said that 80 per cent of road accidents across the country were as a result of human factors.

Mr. Agwu disclosed this while delivering a lecture on the topic “Road Safety” at the 14th Annual Lecture organised by the Lagoon Hospital Friends at Onikan, Lagos.
Agwu noted that about 3,000 people die on road accidents on daily basis across the country, adding that the highest proportion amongst the death ranged from 15 to 54 years.

According to him, this population forms the bulk of the nation’s workforce.

Enumerating several factors that could facilitate dangerous accidents on the highways to include mechanical factor, human factor, and other factors, Agwu pointed out that of all the factors responsible for  accidents on the highway, human factor had over the years been rated as a major cause that had claimed many lives.

He mentioned that amongst the human factors were drunkenness, poor quality drivers, over speeding by drivers, bad attitude and culture of driving as well as the attitude of policemen and other uniform men that left their duty of controlling traffic for the money they would get in their pockets, adding that if precautionary measures were not put in place more deaths could still be recorded on our roads due to human factors.

“There are more deaths on the road than those who die of malaria and other related diseases, the number of deaths increases every year as a result of human factors. I strongly affirm that we have a lot of road crashes as a result of people’s mistakes and carelessness while driving on the highway.

“There are three dimensions of road safety, such as the road, the vehicle and human factor. Of all these, it is the human factor that is responsible for more deaths on our highways,“ he affirmed.

The FRSC boss, however, cautioned that if nothing was done to arrest it, there would be more deaths on the highways, adding that the important thing was not whether the road was good or bad but the attitudes of the people on the wheels.

“It i s not about the roads whether they are good or bad, it is about our attitudes. So going back to our family values that helps us to obey the rules of the land. Apart from that, your safety must depend not on what any other person does but what I must do to save my life“ he added.

He further noted that FRSC is putting all efforts to ensure that passengers, drivers as well as pedestrians were effectively enlightened about the danger of their reckless attitudes in the course of using the roads.

So, what is this 'human' factor?

He mentioned that amongst the human factors were drunkenness, poor quality drivers, over speeding by drivers, bad attitude and culture of driving as well as the attitude of policemen and other uniform men that left their duty of controlling traffic for the money they would get in their pockets, adding that if precautionary measures were not put in place more deaths could still be recorded on our roads due to human factors.

I see
Not a single mention of the mismanagement of public funds and the lack of basic and routine maintenance of those death-traps of roads all over Nigeria as the MAIN HUMAN FACTOR huh?

So, how are other countries addressing this 'human factor' of a menace to keep their societies sane huh? Divine intervention or what?

Nigerians be trifling I tellya.
What an illiterate.

http://wazobaa.info/?p=19


[img]http://wazobaa.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/accident_caused_by_bad_road_at_ore_portion_of_lagos-benin_road.JPG[/img]

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-508676?ref=feeds%2Flatest


iReport — I am a resident on Igbe Road, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos State Nigeria. Igbe road is in a sad state considering the kind of funds available to my blessed nation Nigeria.

All our efforts to seek help from the Government has proved unsuccessful. As a community, we have purchased pumping machines and water hoses to pump the water out of our roads to make it motorable for us all.

This situation has affected small and large business owners who pay all sorts of taxes to the government.

A facebook community page titled Bad Roads In Nigeria has been opened for all Nigerians to voice out on their bad roads.

Pictures taken by Ladee Gbolade

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/10/n300bn-transportation-contractssenate-report-indicts-anenih-okonjo-iweala-ciroma/


[size=16pt]N300bn TRANSPORTATION contracts:Senate report indicts Anenih, Okonjo-Iweala, Ciroma[/size]

Headlines Oct 12, 2009 ABUJA — THE Senate investigation into the alleged utilisation of more than N300 billion in the transportation sector during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has recommended the prosecution of thirteen former Ministers of that era for the alleged abuse of the due process mechanism of that administration.


The Senate report indicted seven former Ministers, five former Ministers of State and four permanent secretaries who served in the Obasanjo administration between 1999 and 2007. Besides, a serving Minister, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, was also indicted and recommended for prosecution for the alleged transfer of N1.2 billion into the private account of a toll company without due process and in breach of concession agreement.


Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Chief Tony Anenih
The former Ministers recommended for prosecution include the erstwhile chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Minister of Works, Chief Tony Anenih; erstwhile Finance Minister and Chairman of the Presidential re-election committee of the PDP, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, Dr. Obafemi Anibaba and Chief Cornelius Adebayo.

The Ministers of State also indicted by the Senate report are Senator Isaiah Balat, Chief Garba Ali Madaki, Ambassador Aderemi Esan, Alhaji Shehu Saleh and Malam Yahaya Abdulkarim.

The four Permanent Secretaries indicted by the Senate panel include Dr. Godwin Odumah, Dr. Ramsey Mowoe, Alhaji Abubakar Umar and Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.

The Senate panel in its fourth recommendation demanded that Anenih, Madaki, Ogunlewe, Balat and the other former Ministers of Works, Ministers of State and permanent secretaries above “who awarded contracts without budgetary provision in the Appropriation Acts, Designs and Bills of Quantities, be prosecuted for violation of the ICPC Act and other extant laws.”

In its fifth recommendation, the committee deposed that:

“The Honourable Ministers of Finance and the Accountants-General of the Federation and other officials who authorised payments and released funds for the payments of contracts not appropriated by law and or released funds above provisions in the Appropriation Acts, be prosecuted for violation of extant laws. They are: Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Mrs. Nenadi Usman, Kayode Naiyeju and Alhaji Mohammed Argungu.”

In its sixth recommendation, the committee stated thus:

“That the Director-General and other officials of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (now Bureau of Public Procurement) who issued certificates of award and payment for contracts not appropriated by law be prosecuted for violation of extant laws.

They are: Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwezili, Appolonia Okigbo, Prof. Kunle Ade Wahab, Tajudeen Oyawoye and Abimbola Ogunseitan.”

The Senate panel in its eighth recommendation indicting the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Mrs. Allison-Madueke deposed thus:

“That the Honourable Minister of Transportation and the Permanent Secretary who approved and transferred the sum of one billion, two hundred and ten million, five hundred thousand Naira (N1,210,500,000) into private account of Digital Toll Gates Company Limited without due process certification and in violation of the terms of concession agreement be prosecuted and this amount be recovered from this private company.

“They are: Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and Mrs. Amuna Ali.”
Besides, the committee in its 58 page main report recommended that Dr. Baba-Ahmed, a former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works be prosecuted for “contract splitting and award of contract to non-existing companies.’’

The Senate report also recommended that officials of the Federal Ministry of Works in charge of toll collection be made to account for all the proceeds of the toll gates and its utilisation as at the time of its existence from 1999 upwards.

The Senate investigation was upon a motion moved on the Senate floor on April 29, 2008 by Senator Ayogu Eze demanding investigations into the utilisation of more than N300 billion of government funds in the transportation sector during the Obasanjo regime.

The ad-hoc investigative committee which was inaugurated on April 30, 2008 had Senator Heineken Lokpobiri as chairman and the following Senators as members, Patricia Akwashiki, Aloysius Etok, Ayogu Eze, Anthony Manzo, Umar Argungu, Sylvester Anyanwu, Felix Bajumo, Mohammed Jibril, Bala Mohammed, Ayodele Arise and Otaru Ohize.

All but one of the Senators signed the committee report which was submitted to the Senate last Thursday.

Incidentally, the exclusive report by Vanguard of Wednesday October 7, 2009 giving an indication of the indictment of PDP chieftains by the Senate investigations is now the subject of an enquiry by the Senate committee on Ethics. The Senate had upon a motion moved by Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange (PDP, Bayelsa East) demanded an investigation into the leakage of the report before Senate debate on the report.

^^^

All Pa Anenih's children in the UK especially are all over NL typing rubbish about Atiku and his 40 billion Pesos laundering scheme. Whatever happened to the indictment huh?

Yup! Blame human factors for real.
The Pa Anini or is it Anenih human factor.

Rubbish!

[size=13pt]N456 Billion Lost To Road Accidents Annually —FRSC[/size]


At least N456 billion ($3 billion) is lost to road accidents in Nigeria annually,  says the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC.

Disclosing this at the weekend in Lagos, South West Nigeria, Assistant Corps Marshal  and Zonal Commander in charge of Lagos and Ogun States, Mr. Aliyu Danjuma, said the  bitter truth is that $3 billion is lost annually to several crashes on Nigeria’s  highways.

Speaking at a one-day seminar to flag off road safety campaign, Danjuma lamented the  rising rate of road accidents in the country, saying it was sad that lives of people  were not valued in Nigeria.

He attributed the monumental killings on highways to carelessness on the part of  truck drivers and called for severe punishment for motorists who kill people  carelessly.

“The issue of safety is something we must all take seriously.  Do Nigerians value  lives? The FRSC cannot do this alone.  The success we have achieved in the area of  crash helmet came because we collaborated with the Lagos State Government. Nigeria  must take the lives of its citizens seriously.

“Draconian action should be taken against those whose action or inaction led to the  death of somebody else.  At least, $3 billion is lost annually to crashes in the  country.  At times, you will see new couple driving with their baby on their lap.   This is ignorant. Safety is something that all of us must embrace,” he said.

According to him, “We need enforcement. If people bring Tokunbo vehicles and refused  to maintain them, they should get off the road.  They should be punished.  Bad  driving is another problem we face.  There is need for NARTO, owners of these  trucks, to maintain them. Drivers have responsibilities to the populace.

“Don’t drive a vehicle when it is not in a good shape. LASTMA and FRSC should not  compromise in the area of enforcement. We want zero tolerance for accidents in  Nigeria.  It is only in Nigeria that you have conductors graduating to become  drivers.”

Speaking, General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Nigeria  Limited, Engr. Femi Odumabo, emphasized that “when trucks break down, warning signs  like leaves, drums and stones are not visible at night,” adding that trucks should  have red and white tapes on it to enhance their visibility.

He stated that in order to minimize accidents on roads, truck drivers should be  conscious on the road.

Odumabo also advised drivers to be alert and avoid driving under the influence of  drugs and alcohol and keep speed appropriate to road conditions and traffic codes.

Mr. Alex Opene, Head, Truck Safety Initiative, Chevron identified the reasons  accidents involving tanker drivers were rampant in the state to include fatigue;  king of the road mentality; poorly maintained trucks; poor visibility; lack of use  of reflective tapes on body of trucks; axle load issues; poor load retention and  speed.

According to him, the use of retro-reflective tapes will enhance better visibility.  “Better visibility means few crashes and fewer fatalities.  Reflective tape is  proving to be very effective.  From study conducted by the United States National  Highway Traffic Safety Affairs, users of retro-reflective tapes on trucks can reduce  side and rear end crashes by 29 percent, especially at night,” he stated.

Mrs. Temidayo Ogan, Executive Director, Temidayo Organ Child Safety and Support  Foundation, an NGO, said the campaign would enable stakeholders take action and  build on the foundation laid by the Lagos State Government on improving safety in  transportation and haulage business in the state.

“It will help reduce the figure of nearly 1.3 million people who are killed  all over the world and another 50 million who sustain injuries as a result of road  traffic accidents,” she said.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2010/12/06/n456-billion-lost-to-road-accidents-annually-%E2%80%94frsc/print/

I agree

Yes, human factor does play a role, but what about the conditions of the roads?

Anything to keep them from actually doing the job the agency was set up to do. By putting 80% of the blame on human factor, Agwu and co can sit back and munch on most of the budget money put aside for tackling with road and safety issues.

No be human factor (corruption in min of works) cause them not to fix the road.

No be human factor (neglect of broken down vehicles overnight or even some days) start the chain of events wey cause accident.

No be human factor (pushing a car from 0- 120km/h on sidestreets) cause make him loose control while trying to avoid junior running after his football

No be human factor (bad road design/construction) cause make water dey buildup on top road wey dey cause hydroplaning and loss of control on a rainy day