By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin
It was not expected to trigger any negative reaction. But the removal of speed breakers on the Oko Olowo Highway in Ilorin, Kwara State, is being blamed for the multiple deaths on the road.
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For this reason transporters who ply the highway recently took to the street to vent their anger against the decision of the Federal Government to remove the speed breakers.
What members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers Union and allied unions involved in the road transport business in the country found most annoying and provocative is the fact that the speed breakers were installed by the Kwara State Government to force motorists, particularly commercial ones, to reduce speed and its attendant accidents.
Arewa Voice reliably gathered that after the rehabilitation of the road by the Federal Government, the state government immediately installed speed breakers in order to drastically curtail speed and save lives along the Oko Olowo road which is situated within the Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State. The Oko-Olowo highway is a major route that links the Northern and Southern parts of the country.
But since the removal of the speed breakers, there has been a surge in fatal crashes, prompting calls for urgent intervention by relevant authorities.
Between January and June, no fewer than 100 motorists died in various auto crash incidents, a development that has sparked a wave of protest by transport unions in Ilorin.
During the peaceful protest, hundreds of members of the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, and the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in Kwara State called for the immediate reinstatement of speed breakers along the federal highway to curb the increasing number of fatal accidents on the route.
The demonstration was led by Alhaji Abdulrahman Olayinka Onikijipa, Chairman of RTEAN, and Alhaji Abdulrazaq Ariwoola, Chairman of NURTW in Kwara State.
They were joined by other concerned stakeholders who expressed deep concern over what they described as daily loss of lives due to over-speeding and lack of road safety measures.
They recalled that the erection of speed breakers on the highway, at the instance of the state government, significantly put a stop to fatalities hitherto recorded on the road, but wondered why the contractor recently engaged by the Federal Government for rehabilitation work on the road removed the speed breakers.
The protesters noted that the road had since returned to its former death trap mode for commuters and residents sequel to the action of the contractor.
They were armed with placards with the inscriptions such as: “Federal Government should protect road users”; “Stop killing us in Oko-Olowo”; “Our lives matter on Oko-Olowo Road;” “We say no to avoidable accidents, reinstall speed breakers in Oko-Olowo”; “Bring back the speed breakers now.”
The state Chairman of the RTEAN, Alhaji Abdulrahman Olayinka Onikijipa, who led the protest alongside his NURTW counterpart, Alhaji Abdulrasaq Ariwoola, demanded the immediate restoration of the speed breakers, insisting that they would not watch helplessly while their members perish on account of negligence.
Onikijipa disclosed that the intervention of the leadership of the transport unions prompted the state government to build speed breakers on the highway, notwithstanding that the responsibility lies within the doorstep of the Federal Government.
He urged the Federal Government to restore the speed breakers without delay and ensure that any future road work factors in proper safety features.
The RTEAN chairman also called on the government to hold accountable those who authorised the removal of the speed breakers without public consultation.
He warned that the transport unions would mobilise their members in the state to demand swift action if urgent steps were not taken on the road.
Onikijipa said: “We, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, alongside other stakeholders in the transport sector, are alarmed and outraged by the reckless and inconsiderate removal of speed breakers along the Oko-Olowo Expressway in Ilorin by a contractor of the Federal Government.
“These speed breakers were not just bumps on the road- they were lifesaving structures installed by the Kwara State government in response to repeated accidents, many of which claimed innocent lives. Their removal now amounts to a deliberate dismantling of a vital safety mechanism without consultation, justification or alternative measures in place.
“This is not just a protest- it is a cry to protect the lives of our drivers, our commuters, our families and our children. We are law abiding citizens. But make no mistake, if urgent steps are not taken, we will mobilise our members across Kwara State and beyond to press home our demands. Enough is enough!”
Also speaking, the state chairman of NURTW, Alhaji Abdulrasaq Ariwoola, called for the restoration of the speed breakers on the road as a temporary measure.
He also sought the erection of overhead and pedestrian bridges in Oko-Olowo as a long term solution.
Ariwoola, who spoke through the state Secretary of the union, Mr Aliyu Yemi Rasheed, vowed that the transporters would not take laws into their hands but cautioned that they won’t hesitate to stage daily or weekly protest if their request is not addressed.
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